In the latest WIP anyone know why the toolbar menu under Options changed from useable to not useable? We used to be able to install, customize, and actually see what toolbars we have. All my custom toolbars are gone with no apparent way to put them back.
This screenshot R8
This screenshot latest WIP. This whole thing basically seems useless. Are toolbar not going to be kept in toolbars anymore? Or called something else?
Hello @erikratliff I’ve moved this topic because it’s unrelated to the crash thread.
If you type in the toolbar command or use the menu Window > Toolbars you’ll be able to edit toolbars.
Yes, you can edit everything from this dialog
Just when you think you’ve rounded the corner of a learning curve, another is provided.
Okay, thank you.
Hi @CallumSykes, is there a video or an in-depth guide on editing toolbars in the new UI? It looks like a massive update, but I’m struggling with linked toolbars. I’ve also lost the surface tools that used to be under the fillet icon in the sidebar.
Hey @laborda,
We’re working on documentation. I could make a quick video showing how to do various things as a stop gap and to help people set.
Today a new WIP will be released which will fix (most) of the bugs in last weeks release which should fix linked toolbars.
This is a related question to toolbars, containers and scripts.
I have a bunch of handy .py scripts and need to rebuild my toolbars after WIP update.
Anyone out there have a strategy for organizing, add/subtracting tools/scripts, and sharing with a team?
I am currently thinking a folder for each category below:
I am just getting into this new WIP changes now. If anyone has some ideas on the organization and ease of changing toolbars, please let me know.
Did you have issues with the latest WIP version? You should be able to migrate 8 → 9 using OptionsMigrate without issue 
Some kind of documentation would be helpful. Also something to very simply (in as few words as possible) explain what the heck a container, toolbar, plugin is and how they interact. Seems the definitions of what is what and how they work is changing. Also trying to create a new toolbar completely removed the toolbar ribbon and all my toolbars (or containers, not sure which is which anymore) and defaulted to only showing New in V9 at the top menu ribbon.
I get the growing pains of updating a WIP, but this is like someone walking into your shop, hidding some of your tools and scattering the rest around floor.
importing options don’t seem to be the problem.
Yes current WIP
This is the “frame” or “window” that holds stuff on screen.
It can contain multiple tabs — each tab can be either a toolbar (buttons) or a panel (like Properties, Layers, Command Help, etc.).
Containers can be:
Docked to the sides/top/bottom of the Rhino window.
Floating.
Tabbed together (multiple toolbars/panels sharing one container, switched by tabs).
You manage them with the Containers command (or Tools > Toolbar Layout > Containers).
Think of it as the modern replacement for the old “toolbar group” or docked window area. Every visible toolbar/panel lives inside some container.
This is the actual collection of buttons (with icons and macros/commands).
Toolbars are defined/stored in .rui files (Rhino User Interface files). These act as libraries of toolbars and macros.
A toolbar doesn’t float by itself anymore — it must be placed inside a container as a tab.
You can mix toolbars and panels in the same container.
Old Rhino 7-style toolbars get auto-converted to this system when loaded.
A Plugin (usually a .rhp or .yak package) is an add-on that extends Rhino’s functionality.
It can:
Add new commands.
Add custom panels.
Add its own toolbars (via an accompanying .rui file).
When you install a plugin, its toolbars don’t always auto-appear — you often need to manually add them to a container (via the Toolbars or Containers dialog).
Plugins can also register custom panels that behave like built-in ones (e.g., a dedicated V-Ray or Grasshopper panel).
| Term | What it is | Role in UI | How you interact with it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Container | The holder/window/frame | Groups tabs of toolbars + panels | Drag tabs, dock/float, Containers dialog |
| Toolbar | Set of clickable buttons/macros | Content that lives inside a container | Defined in .rui files, added as tabs |
| Plugin | External add-on/extension | Provides commands, toolbars, or panels | Installed via Package Manager (.yak) |
Real-world flow example:
You install a plugin → it may bring its own .rui file with toolbars.
You open the Containers dialog.
You drag the plugin’s toolbar (from the Libraries list) into an existing container or create a new one.
The toolbar now appears as a tab in that container.
This system is more flexible than the old Rhino 7 setup (no more rigid toolbar groups), but it feels confusing at first because everything now revolves around containers.
Use the Containers command to see everything organized.
WindowLayout command saves/loads entire arrangements of containers.
Right-click tabs or use the gear icon on a container for options.
For plugin toolbars that don’t show up automatically, go to Tools > Toolbar Layout and enable them manually.
Still confusing to me. Do you have to create toolbars that you don’t actually use, but just put stuff in a container? Is a “toolbar” now just a book in the library and what you actually use is the basket (container) that you put your books in? I don’t really understand this. Seems like layers of complexity that don’t need to be there.
That particular bug is resolved in the latest WIP.
I do agree better docs are needed and something I’ll work on.
You don’t need to create toolbars you don’t use. But you can hide ones you’re not using currently (and in the analogy that book would be put back on the shelf). A container is indeed like a basket. It can contain toolbars and panels. In the same wqy your basket can contain books or magazines or newspapers.
Some better docs and clear definitions would be helpful. Seems like terminology could be better (but at this point, renaming TOOLBARS or CONTAINERS is probably not feasible) info that has a clear delineation of what is what and how it works.
From what I can tell a CONTAINER:
While a TOOLBAR could be a CONTAINER, could be a menu item, could be not even visible but some or all of its functions can be put into any CONTAINER.
Am I thinking correctly about this?
Sweet. Perfectly confusing.
Can anyone explain how i have my drafting toolbar showing and useable but it is not listed in the new toolbar window?
when i right click on the text it brings up a list of toolbars that includes the drafting toolbar, but is shown in what ever the ALL RUIS toolbar list window in the 1st image is called. I also don’t seem to be able to save a drafting toolbar like the modeling one. But it exists and the buttons work. None of this makes sense.
I can’t understand if what i am assuming is the drafting toolbar is actually a toolbar or a container.
Is there any explanation anywhere that anyone has to make sense of this?
