Using Rhino to render your CAD models in the cloud

Hi folks,

I would like to introduce our newest product called PureWeb Design. Working with McNeel, we have brought the Rhino experience to the cloud, allowing you to remotely view CAD models through your browser.

Continue creating with Rhino on your workstation. Use PureWeb Design when you are ready to share.

Features include:

  • Centrally cloud rendered CAD models, keeping your data safe
  • Access to your CAD models through Box and Dropbox
  • Invite other users to review your CAD model in a collaborative session - The URL in your browser is your permanent meeting space to share with others
  • Communication tools like annotations, audio/video and text chat
  • Share your screen or individual applications within the collaborative session
  • Take captures and export the images from the gallery to your hard drive

Questions, comments and feedback can be submitted using the feedback form within the application, respond in this forum or contact me directly at christian.doehring@calgaryscientific.com.

Interested in giving it a go? Go to design.pureweb.io and start your trial immediately. Looking forward to hearing what you think!

2 Likes

cool idea, there doesn’t appear to be a share option as described in the documentation on the web site. when i load up the app, there is no “share” section in the menu.

Hello asbeastos! You are right, we have recently updated our application and are a bit behind on updating the documentation. Here is how it works now:

The URL in your browser is actually your share URL. E.g.: If you sign up for your own account, you could specify “asbeastos” as your space name. In that case, design.pureweb.io/asbeastos would be your share URL, as well as the address you see in your browser after logging in.

Once you open a model and forward this URL to another user, you are both collaborating. Keep in mind that only you have access to the source file of the model. A collaborator does not see the “File” menu and can only interact with the model you loaded.

As of right now, please use Google Chrome for best A/V and application share support. We are working hard to get the other browsers caught up.

In order to test the collaboration you can open a Chrome window, log in and open a model. After that, simulate the collaborator by copying your space URL into a Chrome Incognito window.

I hope this helps. Please ask if you have more questions!

cool, we’re playing around w/ it in our office. if i embed textures in my file, will they show up online?

Good stuff, thanks for giving PWD a try. We are very interested in finding out what potential design workflows and use cases look like. If you’d be up for a chat after you have played with it for a while, please let me know!

As for the textures: Those that are embedded in the file should work no problem while linked textures will most likely not show. Again, we could learn lots about how designers build and organize their files.

Hi Christian,

Really enjoying PWD. I have a few questions for you:

  • Will there be future support for other cloud based storage?

  • Can it be set up in a way to access files/folders on a local server? (more intranet based than internet)

  • In the future will there be a cost associated with PWD?

Thanks!

Andrew

Very happy to see a good 3d viewer! Especially online!

I noticed a lot of commands work like in rhino. Like the clippingplane for example.
Is It possible to add the clippingplane functionality (world x,y,z) directly in the View tab or with a slider on the side of the window:

A view other possible functions:

  • Object snapping
  • Create sections
  • Dimensioning
1 Like

object snaps are in if you use the command -_OSnap as well as dimensions using -_Dim etc.

-A

For rhino users it is natural to use commands, but for the target audience it should be as intuitive as walking and talking in my opinion.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to test drive PWD. Let me answer your questions:

Norsemen23/Andrew

  1. Other cloud based storage: We started with Box and Dropbox as they are popular cloud storage solutions. Another one we have on our roadmap is integrating with AWS S3 buckets. Anything you are looking for in particular?
  2. Access files/folders on a local server: Utilizing images and containers, we are planning on adding an on-premise service. This means you could install PWD within your company’s network, rather than accessing it on AWS or other cloud providers. Is that what you are looking for?
  3. Cost: Our company’s expertise is cloud computing, collaboration and servicing a wide range of devices (computers, phones, tablets, etc.) in a secure way. We are currently in a free beta, which means everyone can sign up and use the application at no cost. Throughout this program we are looking for feedback from beta users to find out more about work flow, use cases and the kind of Rhino functionality users would like to see in a browser based solution. PWD will be a paid service once we go into version 1.0, but we don’t have a hard timeline or pricing yet.

thomas84
Fantastic use case and having a UI to clip through X, Y, Z planes would definitely be helpful. I’ll play with the command a bit on my machine and see what we can come up with. Thank you for the screenshot!

Norsemen23/thomas84
Interesting point about the target audience - We had to filter out a few Rhino commands simply because they open popup windows within the Rhino application to which the user cannot respond in the browser. Another idea was to give users the option to customize their menu bar with additional buttons and commands. A couple of questions for you that might help us create a better experience: What kind of actions/commands would you use when showing models you have worked on to customers/peers? How would you currently prepare your models or export images for presentation?

Looking forward to your response and more comments - Feel free to DM me through the forum, send feedback from within PWD or email me directly (christian.doehring@calgaryscientific.com).

Hi Christian,

Thank you for the comprehensive answer. I like the fact that you are dedicated to make pwd a solid app with a good user experience.

For our customers the following functions are crucial:

  1. Clipping
  2. Object visibility filters (layers etc) (A name search function would be awesome…)
  3. Remark tools (dots, notes, pen notes)
  4. Leaders & dimensions

Thank you to everyone for giving PureWeb Design a try and sharing your feedback. We are reviewing all of your suggestions and are evaluating them for inclusion in future releases. In the meantime, our team has continued to work hard to improve server capacity, audio/video collaboration and the overall user experience.

We would love to hear from you if you haven’t tried PWD yet but you are interested in giving it a try. Using Chrome, go to https://design.pureweb.io, start a trial by clicking on “Get Started Now” or create your own account.

Here’s a taste of what you can do:

  • Try any of our sample files or load your own designs via Box or Dropbox.
  • Invite others by sharing your meeting space url (design.pureweb.io/).
  • Collaborate using audio/video or application sharing. Application share requires a Chrome extension.
  • Modify designs using the command line. Changes to models can be saved to Box or Dropbox.
  • Capture snapshots to your gallery and export them to your local hard drive

Upcoming major releases will be communicated to our beta users. Sign up for your own account on PureWeb Design if you would like to be included.

We look forward to hearing your feedback!