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Frequently Asked Questions -- Rhino
Post your support questions to the newsgroup if you can't find the info you need in the Wiki:
Rhino Newsgroup
- Rhino Newsgroup - NNTP version - The newsgroup lives! Many of the most experienced Rhino users hang out here as well as some of the developers. For the best experience, download an nntp news client such as Thunderbird (Win/Mac) or Windows Live Mail. For IOS phones/tablets, try NewsTap Lite. For Android, try Android Usenet reader or Groundhog.
- Rhino Newsgroup - Web version - If you can't or don't want to install a news client on your computer, you can still read and post to the newsgroup via the old web interface. Here's a link to a free Web based newsgroup reader that allows you to have a nicer newsreader-style interface in your web browser, but you can't post or download attachments.
Compatibility
Common Modeling Problems
Boolean Operation Failed... General explanation of how Boolean operations work.
Why Boolean operations sometimes fail and strategies to help make them succeed.
Meshing problems, information, tips and techniques
One of the most frequently asked questions on the newsgroup:
Why doesn't my shaded model look correct when I was so careful in modeling it?
Things look “jagged”! What happened to my nice smooth surfaces?
This is most likely nothing more than your render (display) mesh settings, and it's easy to fix. Here is the place to look for the solution to your problem and for lots more information on meshing and custom mesh settings, including meshing models for export.
Dealing with Bad Objects
I’ve got a bad (invalid) object, why did that happen and how do I fix it?
“Bad” objects in Rhino are ones that either violate certain NURBs rules, or have a structural problem.
In theory, Rhino is not supposed to produce bad objects, but in practice, it is possible and does happen periodically. Bad objects can also happen on importing files from other programs. Once you know how to deal with them, they don’t usually take too much to fix - here are some tips.
Why is my object not closed? How do I get a solid model?
How to go about making sure your objects are closed solids for export.
Based on a post from the Rhino newsgroup from Jeffrey Everett, July 15, 2005.
Why can't I cap my object?
Why did my attempt to make a solid fail?
Why does my extrusion refuse to cap even though I specified “cap=yes”?
Why some surfaces do not unroll A PDF with answers to frequently asked questions about deformable surfaces.
Why does Make2D take so long? What can I do about it?
Some tips on how to get better, faster 2D drawing output from your 3D model
Why does my PictureFrame show up blank (or white) and not show the image I have attached?
Here are some reasons why your picture frame is not showing up and settings that you can change to fix the PictureFrame display.
Extruding kinked curves no longer produces polysurfaces
When I extrude a polyline, it now ends up as a single surface, not a polysurface… What went wrong? How do I fix it?
Lightweight Extrusion objects in V5? When I extrude curves in V5, the objects seem different, not a polysurface or Brep… What's going on?
Dimension text missing in Rhino V5 64-bit I installed Adobe Acrobat V9 Pro Extended and now I have no dimension text!
Import/Export Problems
Why does my AutoCAD DWG open empty in Rhino?
Why are Rhino 3DM files so big? Why are 3DM files so much larger than the original imported file used to initially create them?
Common Interface Problems
Where did my toolbars go? I can't find them! What to do if your toolbar layout (workspace) suddenly doesn't show up when you open Rhino
Command Prompt Window Does Not Display What to do you Rhino 4 Command Prompt Windows has been rezied too very small or moved off the screen. This file will reset the Command Prompt to its default sive and location.
The object snap tooltip indicator is fuzzy or totally unreadable
Why does my Logitech mouse (cursor) slow down to a crawl inside Rhino?
Logitech drivers may assume that an OpenGL enabled application (like Rhino) is a game. Open the mouse settings, look for the gaming settings (different places depending on the version) and make sure that acceleration is not diasbled for games.
I'm having a problem installing/running Rhino A few occasional problems experienced with installations and repair instructions.
Unable to communicate with license manager Tips for resolving the dreaded “Unable to communicate with license manager” error.
Wacom tablet user info and issues
Display Problems
How to troubleshoot display problems
Rhino relies heavily on OpenGL. Not all display cards and drivers are created equal. Here's how to minimize problems and get the best display performance.
Image File Support
What you need to know if you are experiencing pixelation of images in the BackGroupBitmap and PictureFrame commands.
Info and issues with Nvidia video cards
Info and issues with ATI video cards
Using two display adapters A discussion on the ins and outs of using two display cards in your computer.
Far from the origin...
Currently, geometry built in Rhino that is extremely far from the World origin suffers from display and precision problems due to single precision meshes and the very large numbers of units involved. Here is one workaround.
Tooltip display problems
Tips and Techniques
Rhino's Hidden Secrets Tips and tricks from the experts - ideas and solutions to facilitate common tasks in Rhino.
Tolerances, tolerances, tolerances... What do all those numbers mean? How should I set them in Rhino?
Load-protecting plug-ins Trouble shooting plug-in related problems using load protection.
Reverse Engineering: Point Cloud or Mesh to NURBS Basic information on Reverse Engineering with Rhino
MeshToNURB This article explains some of the workings of this useful but often misunderstood command.
Using Blocks Basic information for using blocks in 3dm files. Tips & tricks from users
Printing a model with hidden lines A PDF with basic information for printing a model with hidden lines.
Rhino tweaks and adjustments
Rhino is virtually infinitely configurable within its own user interface, but there are a few special items which require registry editing or some other kind of action. Here are some typical tweaks with instructions.
Hardware, Installation, Networks
Why do I have two Desktop Shortcuts for Rhino V5?
You have installed Rhino V5 on your 64-bit Windows system and you have two Desktop Shortcuts. Why?
Rhino V5 crashes when using the Splash and About dialog
Users of HP laptops may need to disable the fingerprint tool
What are these 'RHL' files?
When I open a Rhino file, another file with an RHL extension is created. What is it?
What Graphics Cards do you recommend for Rhino?
A list of graphics cards that work with Rhino including their furthers & particulars.
What is SLI?
Scalable Link Interface (SLI) is a brand name for a multi-GPU solution developed by NVIDIA for linking two (or more) video cards together to produce a single output. Learn more...
Installing Rhino, Upgrades, Service Packs and WIPs/Betas
Answers to frequently asked questions about installing and/or upgrading Rhino
Transferring personalized settings from one Rhino install to another
Adding languages
Adding or changing language support to your Rhino installation.
Running Rhino from the command line
How to run a series of commands on a file from the Windows command line, and then exit Rhino.
Rhino Support on Apple MAC
The Windows version of Rhino runs very well on Macs with Bootcamp, less well on virtual machines such as Parallels, etc. Here is information from customers that are using Rhino for Windows on Mac computers.
A Mac version of Rhino is in development, but it is far from complete. You can get more information and sign up to be a beta tester at the Rhino for Mac site.
Old stuff
Does Rhino run on Vista?
In general it runs, but there are many Vista issues you need to be aware of. Please add your comments.
Very old stuff
Problem with V3 saving to Windows 2000 file servers
The symptom is that Rhino says it saved the file successfully, and then you get a Windows error message saying the file could not be saved.
Rhino V3 asks for a hardware lock
My V3 Rhino is asking for a hardware lock. How come? What do I do?
Common Rendering Problems
Rhino 4.0 can not find moved texture files... Download plugin to reset texture paths.
Crashing Problems
Crashing on Acer computers I recently purchased an Acer computer and Rhino is crashing constantly. How do I fix it?
Teaching Record Broadcasting System Our school uses Teaching Record Broadcasting System by 4edu information co., Ltd. We can't get Rhino to even start. What should we do?
Crashing when running in Safe Mode CommandHelp Flash video crashes Rhino V4 even in Safe Mode.
rhino/faq.txt · Last modified: 2013/04/11 by dale
