The images included in this content are sourced from a foreign blog post (all copyrights belong to the original author). This article combines those visuals with my own practical experience and informed speculation to provide a rough translation. The main focus is on the workflow involving various integrations between Rhino and Revit.
To clarify, Rhino is primarily a free-form, rational modeling tool, whereas Revit is a parametric Building Information Modeling (BIM) software.
Which tool is better? When should you use each? Can both be used simultaneously? How do you start a new project? The answers depend largely on the project team’s specific needs.
Consider some common scenarios: creating custom families (such as furniture or curtain wall components) in Rhino and then importing them into Revit; designing building skins in Rhino while assembling structural elements like walls and floors in Revit; or exporting complex elements like roofs from Revit to Rhino for further refinement, then importing the enhanced models back into Revit.
All these workflows can integrate smoothly, provided the project team has a clear understanding of their objectives. However, in many standard architectural projects, design teams often lack clear goals. Some claim familiarity with parametric design tools like Grasshopper (GH) and Dynamo Player (DP), yet during implementation, they struggle to determine when to utilize these tools or how to incorporate outputs back into the project.
Despite having advanced modeling tools at their disposal, many designers continue to rely on traditional architectural approaches—focusing on tasks like drawing grids, dimensioning, or verifying construction accuracy with outdated methods. This raises the question: can one assess whether the design thinking is clear and aligned with the actual design process and construction methods?
The screenshot below illustrates a simple example of Rhino and Revit working together:
Figure 1: Architectural surface skin created in Rhino
Figure 2: Geometry from Rhino imported into Revit using the SAT format for mass families, which appears to be Autodesk’s proprietary format
Figure 3: Loaded into the project, where building components (such as walls and floors) are assembled alongside design documentation. Detailed schedules can be generated, with architects often favoring door and window schedules as well as room area tables.
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