Rhinoceros 3D
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| Developed by | Robert McNeel & Associates |
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| Latest release | 4.0 / March 2007 |
| OS | Windows (2000/XP/Vista) |
| Type | 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.
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.
References
External
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