Just noticed a new symbol in my Rhino toolbar
What is this chat thingamabob? I clicked it out of curiosity and it said the Gurus were offline. Is this really a McNeel thing?
What is this chat thingamabob? I clicked it out of curiosity and it said the Gurus were offline. Is this really a McNeel thing?
hi @Joe4 yes, this has been recently added. It is still in testing phase, and when support agents are online, it will be open a chat, otherwise it will open an email.
I haven’t had a chance to notice or try this thing out, but based on my experience with other new Rhino network connected features I’d like to suggest making sure it doesn’t get lost in never-never land or worse when Rhino is running offline with no internet connection. Have it fail gracefully and informatively when an offline user tries it without knowing what it does or just accidentally. For sure don’t let it wait trying to get a connection and lock up Rhino in the process.
Thanks.
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I second the recommendation that it doesn’t cause problems in Rhino when I’m offline which is much of the time. Seems as though it is assumed that everyone is connected all the time and it just ain’t so. Besides, it seems that the forum does awfully well at helping me when I need it.
Is the ultimate goal of this feature to feel like a “AI Chatbot”?
User: How’s Rhinoceros 3D Version 9 doing?
ChatBot:
As of February 2025, Rhinoceros 3D Version 9 (Rhino 9) is actively under development as a Work-in-Progress (WIP) build. Here’s a detailed breakdown of its current status based on available information:
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Development Progress
Active WIP Releases: Rhino 9 WIP builds are regularly updated, with the latest version mentioned as 9.0.24268 (as of the most recent update in the search results). These builds include both bug fixes from Rhino 8 and new features such as:
Constraints: MidPointConstraint command for precise modeling.
Drafting Tools: Enhanced “New Detail” button in Layout Panel and improved SelDup for duplicate detection.
UI/Workflow Improvements: Renamed tools (e.g., “FourPoint” to “4Point”) and streamlined workflows like MergeEdge.
Grasshopper Integration: New components like the Texture Evaluator for procedural textures.
Focus Areas: Recent updates emphasize keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Instant Aliases), rendering consistency, and macOS-specific optimizations.
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Accessibility
Availability: Rhino 9 WIP is accessible to users with a valid Rhino 8 license. It can be downloaded as the “Serengeti” build from McNeel’s official site.
Testing Phase: The WIP versions are intended for early adopters and testers, allowing users to preview features while providing feedback to developers. However, they are not yet stable for production use.
Great!!
How I have longed for this for so many years!! It would be so, so much better for the user experience if we could easily connect with gurus. Also, just a question. Why hasn’t there been an official Rhino/Grasshopper Discord server facilitated by Mcneel? It would seem to me that it would speed things up faster. Of course I understand there should be a level separation between Mcneel employees with customers, but I think having a real-time chat feature in this Forum and leaving it to the users to sort out the chaos would drastically speed up solving of user-problems. Something like X spaces. Am I wrong?
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Yes.
This does not “sort out” the chaos, it simply increases it.
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The forum works well for me partly because I am not always connected. I can leave a question and then look in my email for any responses later. For me it is the best way and is simple.
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My concept involved the integration of a language framework that was specifically designed for the RhinoHelp file and Rhino discourse, allowing users to communicate within the Rhino software. It is also capable of autonomously generating basic shapes as described by users if developers chose to be more adventurous.
Unresolved issues Return to the support department.
Say more please. I’m not married to the idea of having real-time chat as the be all and end all. But could there be an improvement to just a simple “Leave a problem and wait for replies” system? Maybe I’m stretching too much and the optimal system is the current one other than starting private groups in Discord etc. But I don’t know.