Rhino - Arkio

Importing models from and to Rhino requires a Pro or Enterprise license. You can learn more about our paid features and start a free trial to try this.

Rhinoceros 6-8 are currently supported, allowing the export of large models to Arkio and back, converting all Arkio geometry and markups into native Rhino meshes, materials and blocks. Our Rhino plugins are included with Arkio's Windows Installer, available on our download page.

Rhino to Arkio

To export models from Rhino, you must have the Arkio plugin installed and open Rhino in a 3D view with the elements you want to export visible. Then, press the Arkio > Export button. If you don't see the Arkio buttons/toolbar, install Arkio on your PC or enable them by right-clicking your toolbar. (A restart of Rhino might be needed after a first installation)

Clicking "Export to Arkio" opens an export menu with settings for preparing your current 3D view for Arkio. You can control whether your Rhino file directly opens in a new Arkio scene. Select which Rhino blocks, by layer, will be converted into movable objects, and control the level of detail for your export. You can reduce the detail of 3D models for mobile devices by selecting a lower LOD and clicking OK to confirm.

After a model is exported, Arkio opens on your PC and displays the newly exported model in a new scene (if selected). The processed import can be found in the Create > Import tab. From there, you can also manually place it in the scene.

Synchronize imports with other Arkio devices

To synchronize your imported files across multiple Arkio devices, such as your PC, Meta Quest, and iPad, you can link your PC and other devices to the same Arkio Cloud device group. The status of your Arkio Cloud shows in your main tool ribbon. After linking, new imports will automatically be synced with other linked devices.

You can also share your scenes, including all placed imports, using a live meeting or via a URL shared from the cloud portal.

Placing models in Arkio

All files imported to Arkio or synced via the cloud will show in your Create > Import drawer. You can sort these imported resources by name, date, or type and click the file to open a preview with placement settings for that resource. In your model preview tab, you can see the number of triangles and movable elements for that imported object.

With the placement tab open, you can click anywhere in the scene to manually place an instance of that model. Or press the green Place at origin buttons to place the model pinned in the current or a new scene. Models placed at the origin can be aligned with other models, enabling a round trip between your design tools when exporting Arkio-added geometry back to your existing tools.

After you place the imports on one device, you can start a live meeting with your other device to share the scene, including all imported geometry. You can also link your PC to the same Arkio Cloud to automatically synchronize new imports to your other devices.

Model location and orientation

Rhino's origin will be used for placement. From that placement, you can use the map feature to load a site around your design and enable more precise sun studies for your project.

If the model has geometry modeled under the xy-plane (origin), the green Arkio table surface can be cut away using Arkio's modeling tools. Making a bigger void than the loaded model enables teleporting on the underground geometry.

If your model is floating or far from the center, it means it is modeled far from the origin. It's best to keep your geometry close to the origin in 3D tools to prevent model inaccuracies. You can address this in two ways:

1. Place the model manually by clicking in the Arkio scene and pin it in place. When you export from Arkio back to your design tool, you must manually align your imported geometry to your original coordinates.

2. Adjust your Rhino model coordinates by moving your geometry closer to the origin,

   for better model coordination with Arkio and other 3D tools

Layers

Your Rhino-exported files contain layer information in Arkio that is mapped to the (flattened) layer information in your Rhino project. If you would like to have more control over your Layers in Arkio, for example, to present your design options, you can make changes to your layers and then re-export your model.

You can export different Rhino models into one Arkio scene (and models from other supported design tools) and load them at the exact origin to gain additional control over layers in your scene, as you can control the visibility of all loaded files separately.

Movable objects

Rhino blocks, with the layer selected as movable in the export settings, are converted into individual movable objects in Arkio. These objects can be moved, duplicated, deleted, edited, and painted like any other objects in Arkio. In your view settings, statistics, you can see how many movable objects are in your scene.

Objects that are moved outside their original position will be exported back into your original design tool to enable a round trip, along with all newly added Arkio geometry and sketches. Cross-tool workflows are also supported, so you can convert movable Rhino blocks to Revit families or SketchUp components.

Updating a Rhino model in Arkio

You can update an existing imported model by overwriting the model with the same name. In Rhino, you can export the same file again to make a green arrow appear in Arkio above your current model, indicating that a new version is available. You can click this arrow to replace the older file in the scene with the new version on the same coordinates.

Arkio to Rhino

Arkio scenes can be exported by opening your File browser and selecting the desired export format. Your scene will export locally and via the Arkio Cloud. You can then connect Arkio on your PC to the same cloud device group to automatically sync the latest exports to your PC \Documents\Arkio\Export\Rhino folder and import the file to Rhino using the import button.

In Rhino, the import settings allow you to select the latest available Arkio exports on your PC. From this panel, you can also control whether to bring in your Rhino import with its materials or erase any previous Arkio imports.

All newly added geometry in Rhino will be assigned to the Arkio layer for easier filtering, and movable objects that were moved out of their original positions in Arkio will be imported back as new elements. From these elements, you can move your original objects or make any final changes before repeating the process and loading them back into Arkio for your next collaborative design session! :)

If you like to export your Arkio geometry to editable Rhino Brep's, you can use our integration with Autodesk Revit to first convert your Arkio scene to solid geometry and then export your Revit to DWG that can be loaded to Rhino. Learn more

Troubleshooting:

• Our Rhino plugin currently only exports outward faces. Please use closed polyfaces and model single-face surfaces with outward-facing normals to prevent missing or inverted faces.

• Avoid issues and long processing by exporting only the geometry you need. You can find tips and best practices to optimize your geometry here.

• Sometimes, previously processed resources affect the loading of other files in Arkio. Clearing your temporary resources often resolves most issues.

• If you have models that don't load well in Arkio, we'd love to review the file to improve Arkio’s importer. You can contact us at support@arkio.is