Snaptrude works alongside Rhino in both directions. Use the Snaptrude Manager for Rhino to send a Rhino model into a Snaptrude project, where its layers become spaces and building elements. To take a Snaptrude model into Rhino, export it as an FBX file. Together these let you round-trip a design: block out the program in Snaptrude, refine a facade or complex form in Rhino, bring it back, and carry on to BIM or Revit.
Before you start
You need Rhino installed on your computer, plus the Snaptrude Manager for Rhino plugin (see below).
Organize your Rhino model by layer before importing. Snaptrude maps whole layers to element categories, so keep spaces, facade, roof and context on separate layers.
Decide which workspace and folder in Snaptrude the imported project should go into.
Exporting from Snaptrude needs a paid plan (exports are not available on Free). Sketch to BIM and Revit export need Pro, Organization or Enterprise.
Install the Snaptrude Manager for Rhino
Open any Snaptrude project.
Click the project name at the top left and choose Import.
Click the Rhino Files (via Snaptrude Plugin) tile and download the Snaptrude Manager when prompted.
Install the downloaded Manager.
Open Rhino and use the Snaptrude Manager from there.
Import a Rhino model into Snaptrude
In Rhino, open the model you want to send.
Open the Snaptrude Manager.
Select the workspace, and optionally the folder, where the new Snaptrude project should be created.
Map each Rhino layer to a Snaptrude element category. To make masses come in as spaces, map their layer to Rooms. Rhino objects tagged as roof import as Roof objects.
Start the import.
When prompted, set the number of stories and the height of each story, then confirm to finish the import.
Open the project in Snaptrude to review the imported model.
How geometry comes in
Simple shapes (for example cuboid masses) on a layer mapped to Rooms import as spaces. They get a calculated area and show the split-story icon, so you can split them across stories.
Complex or curved shapes import as direct shapes. They keep their form but don't get the split-story option.
Tip: If you need area figures for a curved mass, model a simplified boxy version of it on a Rooms layer and keep the detailed form on a separate layer for visuals.
Export a Snaptrude model to Rhino
In your Snaptrude project, click the project name and choose Export > Model/Drawing.
Enter a File name, set File type to Motion Builder (.fbx) and click Begin Export.
In Rhino, import the FBX file.
In Rhino's FBX import settings, set the units so the model comes in at the correct scale.
Note: FBX files exported from Snaptrude are in centimeters. Match this in Rhino's import settings or convert units, or the model will come in at the wrong size.
Make the exported model editable in Rhino
An FBX import arrives in Rhino as meshes. To edit it as surfaces, convert the meshes to breps (boundary representations), for example with a Grasshopper script:
Open Grasshopper in Rhino.
Load a mesh-to-brep script. Contact Snaptrude support for the script used in this workflow.
Add the imported meshes to the script's mesh input.
Bake the resulting breps into Rhino and edit them as usual.
Round trip: Snaptrude to Rhino to Revit
Develop the massing and spaces in Snaptrude.
Export the model to Rhino as FBX and convert it to breps if you need to edit the surfaces.
Model the facade or other complex elements in Rhino, keeping them on their own layers.
Send the model back with the Snaptrude Manager for Rhino, mapping space layers to Rooms and setting the stories.
Continue editing in Snaptrude, convert spaces to BIM with Sketch to BIM in BIM Mode if needed, and export to Revit with the Snaptrude Manager for Revit. Elements modeled in Rhino, such as a facade, come through with the rest of the model.
Troubleshooting
Masses came in as shapes instead of spaces: Check that their layer was mapped to Rooms. Curved or complex masses always import as direct shapes.
No split-story icon on an imported mass: The mass is a complex shape. Simplify it to a box-like form if you need to split it across stories.
The model is the wrong size in Rhino: Snaptrude FBX exports are in centimeters. Re-import with matching units.
The Manager doesn't appear in Rhino: Close and reopen Rhino after installing. If it still doesn't show, download and install the Manager again.
Related articles
Export Snaptrude to Revit
Install and Update Snaptrude Manager for Revit
Export Models and Drawings (DWG, PDF, IFC, OBJ, FBX)
Buildings and Stories