Rhino 3D has allowed me to express my design inspiration over the years without constraints, and I am very grateful to @bobmcneel and his team for bringing to the world the amazing Rhinoceros 3D!
I have been using it continuously since version 0.98 (awhile ago) designing several airplane concepts. A few of those have been built and flown over the past couple of decades, and there are more recent ones in active development like this one: Freedom Family of Training Systems | SNC - Sierra Nevada Corporation | SNC
The latest design that I am sharing below has made its public debut in the media last week. The engineering design workflow has been transferred to CATIA but I am only using Rhino for developing concepts.
After the 747, Boeing (and the entire industry) moved toward two-engine airliners because engine reliability improved so much that two were enough, far more efficient than 4 (less aerodynamic drag, better fuel efficiency, and significant weight reduction). Also, because each aircraft is simple to maintain (2 engines = fewer inspections), it has lower overhaul costs and fewer points of failure.
Joäo, Aircraft design is what I have always wanted to do and my background is mechanical engineering, with a subsequent professional focus on conceptual design and aircraft performance modeling. The other key pursuit is artistic - for which I have not had formal training - and this is where Rhino3D comes into play as an outstanding tool. Feel free to direct message me and I’ll be happy to discuss it directly with you if you want.
Wow, the first hybrid plane!! I’ve always wondered why, given the huge surface area of aircraft wings, we don’t see solar panels on them? Maybe it’s a naive thought, but I’ve always had that question. Recently, I built a full-scale aircraft mockup for the Paris Air Show (Le Bourget), and seeing all the electrical equipment it carried, I really started wondering about fuel consumption…
I’m personally impressed that I can open just about anything with Rhino, from Blender files to CATIA. I used SolidWorks for over 10 years for prototyping and volumetric modeling, and the day I discovered Rhino, it was like a liberation. No more rebuild errors, no more needing to be “smart” to predict the right sketches or constraints… The tag “Free Form NURBS modeler” might be gone from the official site, but it’s still truly Rhino’s greatest strength.
