The 4x6 commands to get you started in Rhino

published 11th March 2024 I STARTING OUT,

RHINO

The following is a crash course introduction to 3D modelling in Rhino for the Art Department.

There might be ‘softer’ ways to learn the software, but if you are after the essentials that put you in a position to be modelling after a couple of hours, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll cover:

What Rhino is and what is used for
How it is different from other 3D software
What you’ll need to get started
How to navigate the interface
6 essential drawing tools
6 essential modifying tools
6 surface tools
6 solid tools
Tips for working with viewports
How and when to use the gumball
How object snaps work
The next steps you can take to improve your modelling skill

1. What is Rhino

Rhino is a 3D modelling software. It is widely used in the UK film industry.

Rhino is a very precise modelling (and draughting) software that performs best with geometric or ‘clean’ organic and architectural shapes.

It’s less suited for modelling highly textured surfaces or for 3D sculpting.

2. How is it different from other 3D software

If you are familiar or started your 3D modelling journey with SketchUp or Blender you will probably need a moment to get used to Rhino.

The reason for this is that Rhino is NURBS based.

Where Sketchup uses surfaces and Blender uses meshes and primitives, Rhino relies on curves and profiles.

NURBS is a mathematical model that uses curves to create 3d representations of objects. That means that you will need to start thinking of the objects you want to create in terms of curves or profiles that follow a certain path.

If you started with SketchUp you are probably used to thinking in surfaces that you extrude or push.

If you come from Blender you are probably used to starting out with geometric primitives or meshes and applying modifiers and/or manipulating the mesh.

In Rhino you will need to start thinking of the objects you want to model in terms of curves.

3. What you'll need to get you started

Rhino is very versatile and therefore contains numerous commands, tools and display modes.

If you are new to Rhino this multitude of options can be overwhelming and intimidating.

The important thing to understand is that you only need a tiny portion of ‘all-that-is-possible’ in this software to start modelling.

I would go as far as speculating that even the best modellers only use 10% of the functionality in their day-to-day work.

The following paragraphs will show you where best to start.

4. How to navigate the interface

The first thing you will need to familiarise yourself with is the interface.

The standard interface has 4 viewports, showing your modelling area and objects from the top, side, front and in perspective view.

On the left hand side you will find the tool bar.

On the right hand side are the additional panels for properties and views (this area is customisable) and at the top you will see tabs and drop down menus for specific groups of commands.

In order to navigate within the viewports you will have the options of ‘zoom’, ‘pan’ and ‘orbit’:

‘Zoom’ lets you get closer to an object or move away from it using the scroll wheel on your mouse

‘Pan’ lets you move from left to right and top to bottom (and vice versa) without changing the distance to the object (= zooming) or the angle (= orbit). You can pan by pressing the right mouse button and moving your mouse.

In perspective view you will need to hold down the Shift button on your key board in addition to your right mouse button in order to pan.

‘Orbit’ lets you change the angle at which you viewing your object in perspective view. In combination with pan you will be able to navigate around an object. In order to orbit hold down your right mouse button and move the mouse.

This might sound very confusing when you are just reading it. My recommendation is to explore these three options in Rhino and also see how they change depending on the viewport you use.

Navigating will become second nature to you in no time and you won’t even think about it anymore.

5. 6 essential drawing tools

In general you can differentiate between drawing tools that are used to create geometry in Rhino and modifying tools that help adjust the shape, multiply or move the created geometry.

The 6 essential drawing tools are:

Polyline
Control Point Curve
Circle
Ellipse
Arc
Polygon

6. 6 essential modifying tools

The most important modifying tools are:

Scale (1D, 2D, 3D)
Mirror
Join/Explode
Trim
Split
Offset

7. 6 solid tools

Creating primitives (sphere, cube, cone, pyramid)
Extrude planar curve
Extrude surface
Boolean operations
Pipe tool
Delete hole

9. Tips for working with viewports

Set View Command:

Sometimes, when navigating in the viewports your zooming will appear to behave weirdly or not zoom in on or rotate around the object that you want to have a closer look at.

In this case the ‘zoom selected’ command comes in very handy.

You can find it at the top of the interface under the tap named ‘Set view’.

Just select the object you want to zoom in on and click on the symbol (= two yellow circles in a magnifying glass, it’s the sixth symbol from the left).

Named View Command:

Sometimes you might want to return to the same view after changing or remodelling something.

Usually it will be a certain perspective view that allows you to check proportions or represents the most crucial viewpoint for your design.

In order to avoid having to find that same viewpoint again and again after you worked on your design you can save your favourite view.

To do so go to your right hand side panel called ‘Named view’ and press the + sign at the bottom. Name the view and press enter. Now you can go back to modelling.

If you want to return to your named view, just double click on the view thumbnail in the ‘Named view’ panel.

10. How and when to use the gumball

Snapping options make your modelling process easier, faster and more precise.

When activated they allow you to snap to certain geometric entities such as endpoints, midpoints, centre points, etc.

If you don’t want to snap to anything you can switch the snap function off by holding down the option or Alt key on your keyboard.

11. How object snaps work

Snapping options make your modelling process easier, faster and more precise.

When activated they allow you to snap to certain geometric entities such as endpoints, midpoints, centre points, etc.

If you don’t want to snap to anything you can switch the snap function off by holding down the option or Alt key on your keyboard.

12. The next steps you can take to improve your modelling skills

Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the points above, it’s best to chose a project and start applying what you know to it.

There is no better way to learn a software than to actually apply your new knowledge to a modelling problem.

Select an object that isn’t too complicated and start modelling.

I hope this introduction provides you with a good overview of where to start when learning to 3D model in Rhino. If you have question or get stuck, feel free to reach out.

Art Department Tool Kit NEWSLETTER

Would like to stay up to date on the latest Rhino tips and skills for the Art Department?

Get the Art Department Tool Kit Newsletter in your inbox