Our verdict: Rhino is the go-to free-form modeler for product designers, jewelers and architects: NURBS precision, SubD for organic shapes and Grasshopper for parametric design in one perpetual license. There is no subscription and no maintenance fee. It is not a parametric history-based CAD like SolidWorks, and the full price is steep for hobbyists.
About Rhino
Rhinoceros, usually called Rhino, is a 3D modeler from Robert McNeel & Associates in Seattle. It creates, edits, analyzes, documents and renders NURBS curves, surfaces and solids, SubD geometry, point clouds and polygon meshes, with the accuracy needed for manufacturing anything from jewelry to aircraft parts. Grasshopper, a visual programming editor for parametric and generative design, is built in, and hundreds of plug-ins extend it for rendering, CAM, architecture and jewelry. Rhino 8 added ShrinkWrap for watertight meshes, PushPull editing, SubD creases and a more customizable interface.
The evaluation is the full Rhino 8 for 90 days, once per person, with no credit card; you need a free Rhino account to download it. After 90 days Rhino keeps running for learning and viewing files, but saving and plug-ins stop working until you buy a license. A commercial license costs $995 in North America, upgrades from older versions $595, and students and faculty can buy an educational license for $195. Licenses are permanent, cover both Windows and Mac, and have no maintenance fees; evaluation versions cannot be upgraded.
What it does well
- NURBS modeling. Free-form curves, surfaces and solids with no limits on complexity beyond your hardware.
- SubD. Subdivision surfaces with creases for organic shapes that convert to precise NURBS.
- Grasshopper. Built-in visual programming for parametric, generative and algorithmic design.
- ShrinkWrap and meshes. Create watertight meshes around any geometry, useful for 3D printing.
- File compatibility. Read and repair meshes and IGES files and exchange models with CAD, CAM and render tools.
Who it is for
Good fit
Industrial and product designers, jewelers, architects and makers who need precise free-form surfaces.
Look elsewhere
Mechanical engineers who need history-based parametric CAD, character animators, and Arm-based Windows PCs.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Perpetual license with no maintenance fees
- Very precise free-form NURBS modeling
- Grasshopper parametric design included
- One license covers Windows and Mac
Cons
- Saving and plug-ins stop after the 90-day evaluation
- Expensive for hobbyists who are not students
- No native Arm build for Windows
How to install Rhino
Sign in or create a free Rhino account on the official evaluation download page, then run the installer. An internet connection is needed for download and license validation. McNeel recommends 8 GB of RAM and an OpenGL 4.5 graphics card with 4 GB of memory; virtual machines and Remote Desktop are not supported.
Questions about Rhino
Is Rhino free?
No. McNeel offers a full 90-day evaluation of Rhino 8 with no credit card, but you need a free Rhino account to download it. After 90 days you can still learn and view files, but saving and plug-ins stop working. A commercial license costs $995 in North America and educational licenses $195.
Is Rhino a subscription?
No. Rhino licenses are permanent and do not expire, with no maintenance fees. Major new versions are paid upgrades, $595 for Rhino 8.
Does Rhino include Grasshopper?
Yes. Grasshopper, Rhino's visual programming environment, is included with Rhino at no extra cost.
