Specialist Tools - Rhino.Inside.
Rhino.Inside.Civil3D embeds the full Rhinoceros 3D geometry engine and Grasshopper visual programming environment directly into Civil 3D. Drive alignments, corridors, profiles, TIN surfaces, assemblies, and sites with computational design workflows - without file exports, coordinate misalignment, or context switching.
Rhino.Inside.Civil3D is not yet available for download.
Join the waitlist to be notified the moment the beta build is released.
Will require Rhino 8 + Civil 3D 2024 | 2025 | 2026
Developed in official collaboration with Robert McNeel & Associates
Creators of Rhino 3D, Grasshopper, and the open-source Rhino.Inside® technology.
Help shape the roadmap. Rhino.Inside.Civil3D is an active development initiative. Once the beta opens we'll invite waitlist members to join the community to report issues and suggest features for future releases.
Workflow Preview
Once available, the plugin will integrate natively into the Civil 3D interface. Here's how a typical session will begin.
Key Capabilities
Access the full power of Rhino and Grasshopper without leaving Civil 3D. Build parametric definitions that drive alignments, corridors, profiles, and TIN surfaces directly from your design files.
Core Features
- Full Rhino Geometry Engine. Access Rhino's complete NURBS modeling kernel from within Civil 3D, including surface analysis, curve operations, and mesh tools.
- Civil 3D Object Access. Query alignments, profiles, corridors, assemblies, TIN surfaces, sites, and parcels through dedicated Grasshopper components.
- Computational Infrastructure Design. Drive alignment, profile, and corridor geometry parametrically - useful for rail, highway, and earthworks studies.
TIN Surfaces and Object Exchange
Create Civil 3D TIN surfaces directly from Rhino meshes, and decompose existing surfaces into their boundaries, contours, and breaklines for downstream analytical workflows.
Surface and Geometry Access
- Create TIN Surfaces from Meshes. Convert analytical Rhino meshes into native Civil 3D TIN surfaces, including TIN volume surfaces for cut/fill studies.
- Decompose Surface Geometry. Extract surface meshes, boundaries, contours, and breaklines for computation and visualisation in Grasshopper.
- Alignment-Driven Workflows. Create alignments from Rhino curves, extract station data, and access CANT, design speeds, rail alignments, and offset alignments.
Decompose Linear Infrastructure
Decompose corridors into their baselines, regions, feature lines, and surfaces, and inspect the assemblies and subassemblies that define their cross-sections.
Corridor & Profile Access
- Corridor Decomposition. Read corridor baselines, regions, feature lines, and corridor surfaces, and extract the combined corridor mesh geometry.
- Assembly & Subassembly Inspection. Get assemblies from the document and decompose subassembly geometry and property data for downstream computation.
- Profile & Profile View Access. Extract profile entities, generate 2D station/elevation curves, and read profile views, bands, and label groups.
Technical Reference - Core Concepts
Rhino.Inside.Civil3D loads Rhino's geometry kernel directly into Civil 3D's process space. This architecture eliminates file-based workflows and enables real-time geometry exchange between both applications.
How It Works
Rhino and Grasshopper run directly inside Civil 3D, so there's no need to export or import files between applications.
Key Benefits
- In-Memory Geometry Transfer. No intermediate files; geometry flows directly between applications.
- Unified Coordinate System. Both applications operate in the same coordinate space with automatic unit conversion.
- Native Civil 3D Object Access. Grasshopper components read and write Civil 3D objects directly - alignments, profiles, corridors, surfaces, and more - within a single definition.
From Grasshopper to Civil 3D
Geometry created in Grasshopper exists in memory until explicitly "baked" to Civil 3D:
- 1.Create - Generate geometry using standard Grasshopper components
- 2.Convert - Transform Rhino geometry into Civil 3D objects (alignments, surfaces, etc.)
- 3.Configure - Assign styles, names, and associated sites via Bake Settings
- 4.Bake - Commit objects permanently to the Civil 3D drawing
- 5.Track - Receive ObjectIds for downstream operations
Node Reference Guide
Coming soonThe categories below preview the nodes you'll find in the beta release. Full documentation, example definitions, and tutorials are in development - join the to be notified when the documentation portal goes live.
Alignment Nodes
Query, decompose, and create Civil 3D alignments.
- -Alignments & Properties
- -Lines, Arcs & Spirals
- -Rail & Offset Alignments
Profile Nodes
Extract vertical design data from any alignment.
- -Profiles & Properties
- -Tangents, Arcs & Parabolas
- -Station Point Data
Corridor Nodes
Decompose corridors and access their constituent geometry.
- -Corridors & Properties
- -Baselines & Regions
- -Corridor Mesh & Surfaces
Assembly Nodes
Inspect assemblies and the subassemblies they contain.
- -Assemblies & Properties
- -Subassembly Data
- -Subassembly Geometry
TIN Surface Nodes
Create and analyse TIN surfaces from Rhino meshes.
- -TIN Surfaces
- -TIN Volume Surfaces
- -Contours & Breaklines
Site & Parcel Nodes
Access sites and decompose parcel boundary geometry.
- -Sites & Parcels
- -Parcel Properties
- -Boundary Geometry
Developer Resources
Access the source code, report issues, and connect with the community.
Need a custom Rhino.Inside implementation for Civil 3D?
We build custom integrations of Rhino.Inside, Grasshopper definitions, and Civil 3D automation tailored to your specific infrastructure.