Rhinoceros 3D
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rhinoceros | |
|---|---|
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| Developed by | Robert McNeel & Associates |
| Latest release | 4.0 / March 2007 |
| OS | Windows (2000/XP/Vista) |
| Genre | 3D computer graphics |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | http://www.rhino3d.com/ |
Rhinoceros (Rhino) is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3-D modeling tool, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates. The software is commonly used for industrial design, architecture, marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD / CAM, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering as well as the multimedia and graphic design industries.[1][2]
Rhino specializes in free-form NURBS modeling. Plug-ins developed by McNeel include Flamingo (raytrace rendering), Penguin (non-photorealistic rendering), and Bongo (animation). Over 100 third-party plugins are also available. Like many modeling applications, Rhino also features a scripting language based on the Visual Basic language, and an SDK that allows reading and writing Rhino files directly.
Rhino's increasing popularity is based on its diversity, multi-disciplinary functions, relatively low cost, and its ability to import and export over 30 file formats, which allows Rhino to act as a 'converter' tool between programs in a design workflow.
Rhino was originally distributed as a free, open beta. A broad community of users whose input debugged and added features to the program developed as a result.
The development is on-going; version 4.0 is current[3] with version 5.0 expected in 2009.[4] Development of a Mac OS X version in progress http://www.irhino3d.com; Beta version on on request. Rhino owners can download the latest beta versions and participate in the development process. Free trial versions are available for download.
[edit] File format specification 3dm published as openNURBS
The Rhino file format (.3dm) is useful for the exchange of NURBS geometry. The open-source toolkit (openNURBS) is provided by the Rhino developers.
