The Complete Rhino 3DM to SolidWorks Conversion Guide.
Table of Contents
- General Information
- Converting and Optimizing Rhino 3DM Files to SolidWorks
- What are Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks files commonly used for?
- Comparison of Features Supported by Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks
- Limitations of Rhino 3DM Files to SolidWorks Conversion Workflow
- What's the best way to get Rhino 3DM files into my 3D applications, and are there alternatives to using SolidWorks?
General Information
This guide is part of the RapidPipeline 3D Formats Knowledge Database. It shows how to convert Rhino 3DM to SolidWorks, if you'd like to know more about the formats, please check out the following links:
Converting and Optimizing Rhino 3DM Files to SolidWorks
There are various ways to convert between Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks. With RapidPipeline, you can easily convert and and optimize Rhino 3DM files, at scale. It supports SolidWorks, as well as many other file formats (examples: FBX, glTF, OBJ, PLY, STL, USD, USDZ, VRM), at high quality.
Below you can find a video explaining how to convert your files:
What are Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks files commonly used for?
The Rhino 3DM file is a format mostly used for NURBS-based 3D modeling and design.
The SolidWorks file is a format mostly used for Professional 3D CAD software for mechanical design and product development.
Comparison of Features Supported by Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks
| Feature | Supported by Rhino 3DM | Supported by SolidWorks |
|---|---|---|
| Morph Targets | No | No |
| Rigid Animations | No | Yes |
| Skinned Animations | No | No |
| Animations | No | Yes |
| Free-Form Surfaces | Yes | Yes |
| Geometry Compression | No | No |
| Quad Meshes | Yes | Yes |
| Basic 3D Geometry | Yes | Yes |
| PBR Materials | Yes | Yes |
| Transparent Materials | Yes | Yes |
| Vertex Colors | Yes | Partial0 |
| Materials | Yes | Yes |
| Scene Composition | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical Scene Graph | Yes | Yes |
| Scene Nodes | Yes | Yes |
| Standardized Format | Partial1 | Partial2 |
| Embedded Textures | Partial3 | Partial4 |
| Multiple UV Channels | Yes | Partial5 |
| Normal Mapping | Yes | Partial6 |
| Procedural Textures | Partial7 | Partial8 |
| Texture Compression | No | No |
| Texture Transforms | Yes | Yes |
| Texturing | Yes | Yes |
Limitations of Rhino 3DM Files to SolidWorks Conversion Workflow
The following limitations should be taken into account when converting Rhino 3DM files to SolidWorks format:
| Rhino 3DM Feature (not supported by SolidWorks) | Limitation Details |
|---|---|
| Multiple UV Channels | Multiple UV Channels Support: Rhino 3DM: Full support | SolidWorks: Partial support   SolidWorks Notes: Limited multi-UV support, primarily through appearances and materials for visualization rather than game development workflows. Impact: Multiple UV channels allow the optimized and sophisticated use of various 3D modeling features at once. For example, one can use one set of UVs and 2D texture data to model a tiling texture or procedural material, and another UV set to leverage a global lightmap or occlusion map of the 3D model. In this example, a combination of tiled texture (UV channel 1) and baked ambient occlusion map (UV channel 2) is used. Without support for this feature, one needs to either give up the tiling property (e.g., by using a tool like RapidPipline to bake a single texture atlas), or give up the ambient occlusion map, as only one UV channel will be usable. |
| Normal Mapping | Normal Mapping Support: Rhino 3DM: Full support | SolidWorks: Partial support   SolidWorks Notes: Basic normal mapping support through SolidWorks Visualize and appearance properties, but not extensively used in typical CAD workflows. Impact: Normal maps are used to model shading differences that are arising from small geometric details on a surface, such as fabric structures, visible gaps between bricks forming a wall, or rough rock surfaces. In this example, a normal map is used to model a fabric structure. Without support for this feature, the rendered fabric will look smoother than it actually is in the real world, as the fabric structure won't be visible. |
| Vertex Colors | Vertex Colors Support: Rhino 3DM: Full support | SolidWorks: Partial support   SolidWorks Notes: Limited vertex color support, mainly through part coloring and appearance assignments rather than per-vertex color data. Impact: Vertex colors allow the attachment of colors to each vertex of a 3D model. This can be useful in scenarios such as scientific visualization, or when converting/meshing data from a colored 3D point cloud, for example. On the polygonal surface connecting the vertices, the respective vertex colors are usually smoothly interpolated. In this example, different colors are attached to the different corners of a cube. Without support for this feature, the cube won't have any colors. |
What's the best way to get Rhino 3DM files into my 3D applications, and are there alternatives to using SolidWorks?
Doing 3D conversion right, especially at scale, can be tricky, as 3D data is in general a rather complex (yet very powerful!) medium. This also applies to Rhino 3DM and SolidWorks files - the conversion guide above provides a rough first idea about that. Once you know what you would like to do, tools like RapidPipeline can help you perform the necessary steps, and to even automate the process for thousands or even millions of files.
Especially when introducing pipelines and workflows at scale in an enterprise context, it is usually good to rely on dedicated tools and expertise, making sure you do not introduce any steps into your 3D workflow that are detrimental to the final output's quality, or that take your team too much time (and money).
If you're interested to hire dedicated expertise from the best in the field to help your company reach your goals fast and reliably, please do not hestitate to contact DGG. Being the creators of RapidPipeline, and ambassadors for open 3D standards for more than a decade, we have been building some of the world's most advanced 3D pipelines, having processed many millions of 3D assets.
Therefore, our expertise will help you to reach your goals faster, at scale, and with the least possible friction, since we are focused on maximum interoperability.
To get started with 3D data conversion and optimization today, sign up for a free account!
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