Rhinoceros and Grasshopper – developed by Robert McNeel & Associates – are considered market leaders in industrial design modeling and algorithmic design.
Now, designers have various options to connect Archicad’s professional BIM work environment with the modeling power of Rhino and Grasshopper.
More about Rhino – Grasshopper – Archicad Toolset
Prerequisites
Before installing any connections, make sure that Archicad, Rhinoceros3D and Grasshopper is installed on your computer.
Table of Contents
Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection
Rhinoceros Import/Export Add-ons
Rhinoceros – GDL Converter
Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection
Important Notes:
- The v23 & v24 of Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection supports Rhino 5 and Rhino 6 on both platforms (Win & macOS).
- On Windows both v21,v22 of Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection supports Rhino6.
- On macOS both v21 and v22 of Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection supports Rhino5. They don’t support Rhino6 WIP.
- Grasshopper – Archicad Live Connection is not compatible with Archicad STAR(T) Edition.
| Detailed Information and Downloads | Windows | macOS | Minimum Archicad build supported | User Guide | Last updated |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 26 Live Connection Supports Rhino 6 and Rhino 7. | 17.3 MB | 9.5 MB | 4007 | Sep. 29, 2022 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 26 Live Connection Supports Rhino 6 and Rhino 7. | 13.0 MB | 9.4 MB | 3001 | Jul. 14, 2022 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 25 Live Connection Supports Rhino 6 and Rhino 7. | 13.0 MB | 7.8 MB | 3003 | Oct. 6, 2021 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 25 Live Connection Supports Rhino 5 and Rhino 6. | 13.8 MB | 8.5 MB | 3003 | Jul, 2021 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 24 Live Connection Supports Rhino 6 and Rhino 7. | 12.9 MB | 7.7 MB | 6004 | Aug. 30, 2021 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 24 Live Connection Supports Rhino 5 and Rhino 6. | 13.7 MB 1.6 (24.0.3008) | 8.4 MB 1.6 (24.0.3008) | 3008 | Jul. 8, 2020 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 23 Live Connection | 20.8 MB 1.0 (23.0.4006) | 16 MB 1.0 (23.0.4006) | 4006 | May. 4, 2020 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 22 Live Connection | 24 MB 2.2 (22.0.6026) | 19.3 MB 2.2 (22.0.6026) | 6021 | Sep. 5, 2019 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 21 Live Connection | 9.1 MB 2.0 (21.0.7005) | 12.5 MB 2.0 (21.0.7005) | 7000 | Dec 13, 2018 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 20 Live Connection | 8.6 MB 1.7 (20.0.6022) | 21.3 MB 1.7 (20.0.6022) Beta | 7001 | June 15, 2017 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 19 Live Connection | 7.12 MB 1.5 (19.0.9006) | – | 9001 | June 1, 2017 | |
| Grasshopper-Archicad 18 Live Connection | 7.39 MB 1.5 (18.0.9534) | – | 9013 | Sep. 7, 2016 |
Rhinoceros Import/Export Add-ons
Important Notes:
Rhino 6 format is not supported in the built in Rhinoceros Import/Export function in Archicad 22.
From Archicad 20 on these add-ons are part of the Archicad package. In Archicad 19 and 18 install these free Add-ons to enable Archicad to import and export models using Rhino’s native (.3dm) file format.
Import Rhino Model to Archicad
Rhino Importer Add-on enables Archicad users on both the Mac and Windows platforms to pass on the model or part of the model produced in Rhino to Archicad. This Add-on, available for Archicad 18 and 19, enables you to open or merge native Rhino (*.3dm) files directly in Archicad.
| Download | Version | Windows | Mac OSX | Last updated | |
| Rhino Importer for Archicad 19 | 1.0 | 15.6 MB | 5.75 MB | Sep. 30, 2015 | |
| Rhino Importer for Archicad 18 | 1.0 | 15.9 MB | 5.70 MB | Sep. 30, 2015 | |
| Import Rhino Model to Archicad User Guide | Sep. 30, 2015 |
Export Archicad Model to Rhino
Rhino Exporter Add-on enables Archicad users on both the Mac and Windows platforms to pass on the model or part of the model produced in ARHICAD to Rhino. This Add-on, available for Archicad 18 and 19, enables you to save the Archicad 3D model as a Rhino file (*.3DM).
| Download | Version | Windows | Mac OSX | Last updated | |
| Rhino Exporter for Archicad 19 | 1.0 | 2.52 MB | 1.73 MB | Sep. 30, 2015 | |
| Rhino Exporter for Archicad 18 | 1.0 | 2.84 MB | 1.68 MB | Sep. 30, 2015 | |
| Export Rhino Model to Archicad User Guide | Sep. 30, 2015 |
Rhinoceros – GDL Converter
Install these free plug-ins to convert Rhino models to native Archicad GDL elements – standalone objects (.gsm) or library containers (.lcf).
Please watch this video to find out more about how to install the necessary plug-ins, and how to import a model created in Rhinoceros into Archicad as native GSM objects. The video first presents the “Single Object Import” workflow using.gsm files and then the “Complex Structure Import” using .lcf files.
Steps to import Rhinoceros models to Archicad
Download and install plug-in for Rhino
Download and launch this “GSM-LCF exporter for Rhino 5” Rhino plug-in to be able to save/export Rhino models.
Choose import method
Depending on the size of the Rhino model, choose one of these two import methods:
Single Object Import to Archicad
Use this workflow to import small-sized single objects or groups of small objects saved in GSM format to Archicad.
Save Rhino model as GSM file
In Rhino, select the model or its parts you want to export and save them as GSM Object File using the “GSM-LCF Exporter for Rhino 5” plug-in. Go to File/Save or File/Export Selected and in the upcoming dialog choose the “Archicad GDL Object” file type (extension .gsm).
Place the object in Archicad
In Archicad, add the object to the Embedded Library, then place it into the Archicad project as an Object.
Complex Structure Import into Archicad
Use this workflow for larger and complex Rhino models to convert them into a set of (smaller) GDL objects. This process enables the user to retain separate logical parts within the same model while providing a functionality to monitor and easily update the imported Rhino models in Archicad. The LCF option is also advised to enable Archicad’s performance optimization algorithm to work seamlessly on an imported large Rhino model.
Save Rhino model as LCF file
In Rhino, select the object(s) you want to export as a reference model to Archicad. Go to File/Save or File/Export Selected and save them as LCF Container File using the “GSM-LCF Exporter for Rhino 5” plug-in. In the upcoming dialog choose the “Archicad GDL Object Library” file type (extension .lcf).
Download and install the “Rhino LCF Observer” Add-on for Archicad
Rhino LCF Observer 20 for Windows
Rhino LCF Observer 20 for Mac OS X
Rhino LCF Observer 19 for Windows
Rhino LCF Observer 19 for Mac OS X
Place LCF model in Archicad
In Archicad, add the LCF file as a Linked Library in Library Manager, then place it into the Archicad project as an Object. Using the “Rhino LCF Observer” Add-on you can place all objects from the LCF files, and/or to update any placed instances as needed.
Guides for Rhinoceros-GDL Converter
Download the Rhinoceros-GDL Converter Guide for Archicad 20