Rhino 7 freezing and lagging (Not Responding) with large files

Rhino Windows Hardware
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1

Hello,

i am experiencing severe performance issues in Rhino 7. When working with large files (around 7–8 GB), Rhino frequently stops responding, taking up to 3 minutes to recover. The issue worsens when i have 3 or more files open simultaneously.

Despite forcing Rhino 7 to use the dedicated NVIDIA GPU in the Windows/NVIDIA settings, the problem persists.

System Specifications:

  • Model: ASUS ROG Strix G713RW

  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800H with Radeon Graphics

  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU

  • RAM: 32 GB

  • Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD

  • OS: Windows 11

*RHINO SYSTEM INFO
*
Rhino 7 SR38 2024-12-3 (Rhino 7, 7.38.24338.17001, Git hash:master @
License type: Commercial, version 2024-12-03
License details: Cloud Zoo

Windows 11 (10.0.26200 SR0.0) or greater (Physical RAM: 31Gb)

Computer platform: LAPTOP - Plugged in [100% battery remaining]

Hybrid graphics configuration.
Primary display: AMD Radeon™ Graphics (AMD) Memory: 1GB, Driver date: 11-30-2023 (M-D-Y).

Integrated accelerated graphics device with 5 adapter port(s)

  • Windows Main Display is laptop’s integrated screen or built-in port
    Primary OpenGL: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU (NVidia) Memory: 8GB, Driver date: 5-19-2026 (M-D-Y). OpenGL Ver: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 610.47

Integrated accelerated graphics device with 4 adapter port(s)

  • Video pass-through to primary display device

OpenGL Settings
Safe mode: Off
Use accelerated hardware modes: On
Redraw scene when viewports are exposed: On
Graphics level being used: OpenGL 4.6 (primary GPU’s maximum)

Anti-alias mode: None
Mip Map Filtering: Linear
Anisotropic Filtering Mode: High

Vendor Name: NVIDIA Corporation
Render version: 4.6
Shading Language: 4.60 NVIDIA
Driver Date: 5-19-2026
Driver Version: 32.0.16.1047
Maximum Texture size: 32768 x 32768
Z-Buffer depth: 24 bits
Maximum Viewport size: 32768 x 32768
Total Video Memory: 8 GB

Rhino plugins that do not ship with Rhino

Rhino plugins that ship with Rhino
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\Commands.rhp “Commands” 7.38.24338.17001
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\WebBrowser.rhp “NavigateurInternet”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\rdk.rhp “Renderer Development Kit”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\RhinoScript.rhp “RhinoScript”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\IdleProcessor.rhp “GestionnaireInactivité”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\RhinoRenderCycles.rhp “Rendu de Rhino” 7.38.24338.17001
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\RhinoRender.rhp “Ancien rendu de Rhino”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\rdk_etoui.rhp “RDK_EtoUI” 7.38.24338.17001
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\rdk_ui.rhp “Renderer Development Kit UI”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\NamedSnapshots.rhp “Snapshots”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\Alerter.rhp “Alertes”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\RhinoCycles.rhp “RhinoCycles” 7.38.24338.17001
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\Toolbars\Toolbars.rhp “Toolbars” 7.38.24338.17001
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\3dxrhino.rhp “3Dconnexion 3D Mouse”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\Displacement.rhp “Displacement”
C:\Program Files\Rhino 7\Plug-ins\Calc.rhp “Calc”

Question: Given these symptoms, do i need to upgrade my RAM, my GPU, or both to handle this workflow?

2

Hi, @Hicho_Dagh. Welcome to the forum!

Sort answer, I’d recommend at least doubling your computer RAM and getting a better 16 GB or 24 GB graphics card.

Here’s why… these are some very large files you are working with. While possible, it does require a robust system to open in Rhino and be productive. The largest bottleneck with this large of files is your computer’s RAM. 32 GB of RAM will leave about 25 GB of RAM usable for applications once Windows opens. Each Rhino file can take up to 4X the file size in RAM, so a 7 GB Rhino file could require up to 28 GB of RAM, depending on your file contents. Opening multiple files that size (including other applications) means Rhino likely won’t work. If you upgrade your computer’s RAM to 64 GB, you may be able to work with 1 maybe 2 Rhino files at a time that size. Your graphics card is a secondary bottleneck, though 8 GB of video RAM is 2X our suggested requirement. If you can find a more powerful computer with 64 GB of computer RAM and 16 GB of video RAM to test if your files will load and Rhino 7 operates correctly, I’d do that first before upgrading your hardware.

Have you tried the free Rhino 8 90-day evaluation to see if it gives you the same problem with 1 of your files open?