Pros and cons of Rhino against Alias?

Rhino Rhino for Windows
1

Hi,
Can someone please help me to know Strength and weak points of Rhino against Alias Surface?

2

Hello,

the list could be huge, its not that you can compare both “1 to 1”, they are different.

Some general opinions

  • Rhino is more diverse, a true all-rounder
  • Alias has in most cases better surface and analysis tools, its specialised on high-end surface modelling
  • Rhino is cheaper, but depending on your job you can work more efficient with Alias (which pays off)
  • Rhino can be used for automation, it offers great programming and scripting features so it has a wide range on plugins (However Dynamo (Grasshopper clone) is currently under development for Alias as well)
  • I would say Rhino is easier to learn, but that’s not really a long term pro
  • Rhino has a great community and a lot of tutorials can be found, Alias has this too (far less great but regarding surfacing more people with skill)
  • Both have “history” (associative parametrics), whereas Alias history is much more complex.
    However I’m primary a Icem Surf user and many of my colleges can outperform Alias guys working with history. I wouldn’t value this that high (many may disagree here, but its my personal opinion, from my experience in automotive industry)

Best option, buy both :slight_smile:

2 Likes
3

The decades old question “What is the best CAD software” or “Is A better than B” rears its head and the answer is that there is no such thing. We have Alias, Rhino, SolidWorks and AutoCAD, because of the type of work that needs to be done.

It entirely depends on the projects you execute for your clients, the timeline to execute them, the deliverables in terms of data, the budget for the 3D portion of the design and subsequent development process.

If, for example, you need algorithmic form-finding methods in your work, you need to have Rhino, because of the Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Weaverbird and countless other plug-ins of that sort. Here, we have primarily Alias and SolidWorks and use Rhino specifically for algorithmic form-finding, not for modelling complex forms.

Best is to examine your workflows, your concurrent development paths and your client base, and then try out several 3D softwares to find out what you find most suitable.