Rhino Studio Series: Architecture is a free, multi-season YouTube curriculum from McNeel North America that teaches architectural design thinking and Rhino proficiency together. Rather than touring software features, the series follows studio logic: Start with conventions, standards, and design reasoning—then use Rhino to develop and communicate the work.
Designed for students, educators, and emerging architectural designers, the series treats architecture as a sequence of informed decisions. Each season includes six episodes, a continuity project, and downloadable Student and Educator Toolkits that can support studio teaching, technical coursework, or independent learning.
Season 1: Architectural Drawing
Season 1 begins with a hand sketch of an accessory dwelling unit and develops it into a complete, coherent 2D drawing set ready to print. The work establishes a foundation in representation, drafting standards, graphic hierarchy, and clear documentation—essential skills for any architectural workflow.
The project is a 1,000+ sq ft ADU, capped at 100 sq m, which will evolve through the planned seasons—from initial drawing and massing through later stages of architectural development and fabrication.
The Episode Sequence
Work through the six episodes in order:
- Episode 1 — Drawing Standards & Sketch Import: Turn a hand sketch into a scaled, layered Rhino file.
- Episode 2 — Drafting Site & Context: Establish orientation, boundaries, and a readable site plan.
- Episode 3 — Drafting a Floor Plan: Develop the horizontal cut, spatial organization, and walls with real thickness.
- Episode 4 — Drafting Elevations: Use lineweight, proportion, rhythm, and depth to communicate the building’s vertical faces.
- Episode 5 — Drafting Sections: Draw the vertical cut to explain height, light, material, and spatial experience.
- Episode 6 — Layouts & Annotations: Build sheets, add builder-oriented dimensions, and export a clean PDF drawing set.
Built for Learning and Teaching
The season toolkit includes a guide, episode guides, and templates in feet, inches, meters, and millimeters, with established drawing standards.
The core workflow is plugin-free and supports both Imperial and metric users. For educators, publicly available course plans, assessment rubrics, and critique guides make it straightforward to incorporate the season into a syllabus.
Start Watching
Watch the complete Season 1: Architectural Drawing playlist on YouTube.
Download the files, templates, guides, and educator resources from the Season 1 announcement.