Best 3D modeling software for Architecture Design

Introduction

Architects have to create amazing designs and communicate those designs effectively in short deadlines. So for doing that they need several software programs to perform 3D modeling, 2D drawing, 3D rendering, animations, walkthroughs and lots more. And there are several software programs in the industry to do these tasks. For example, 3D modeling software programs are:

 1. Rhino

2. Revit

 3. SketchUp

4. 3ds Max

5. Maya

6. Blender and many more

My 10+ Yrs Experience

But I have found with my experience of 10+ years of working in the Architecture Industry that Rhino 3D is really powerful for creating any design. It can make simple or complex designs because it has got a very interesting workflow and set of commands which is very competitive and has its edge over other 3D modeling softwares.

So I would recommend 3D modeling should be done in Rhino

Why Rhino for 3D Modeling?

Here are some reasons.

1)Firstly, the 3D model is very precise and the interface of Rhino is specially designed for accurate modeling which is if you compare it with SketchUp, Rhino has got 4 viewports to see the design from all sides whereas SketchUp has got only one viewport where you can see the model in one direction. So it gives you lesser understanding of the 3D model.

2)Secondly, Rhino works with points and points are more accurate than planes which is in SketchUp or meshes in 3ds Max, Blender and Maya. So if you see Rhino, it is point specific. You can create a 3D model from points.

Basically, if you want to create a line, you join two points and it will create a line. And if you extrude that line, it will create a plane and if you extrude a plane, it will create a solid box. So Rhino is very precise and it can modify the geometry if you modify the location of the points.

Grasshopper inside Rhino

Rhino has got this amazing plugin which is called Grasshopper that can create parametric designs and automate certain tasks which makes it very powerful for architects to create amazing complex designs as well as analyze those designs in relation to environment, sustainability, thermal control and many more. Some architects even do form finding and structural engineering of certain complex designs using Grasshopper.

Way Ahead

If architects want to use Rhino in their workflow, they need to understand the way Rhino works and the way Rhino works is very unique compared to other 3D modeling softwares like SketchUp, 3ds max or Blender or Revit or many other programs.

How to Learn Rhino?

So to make this thing effective and efficient, they can either take some Rhino tutorial courses which is on a one to one basis from an expert Rhino tutor like myself and get ahead of the learning curve and grow their Rhino skills quickly by private online tutoring.

Alternative Learning Method for Rhino

One can see YouTube videos where there are many resources which are openly available. However, many of my students say is that content on Youtube is difficult to understand, some are good, some are really bad and it is very complicated to understand how the software works.

My Best Method to Learn Rhino

So if you have a clear and direct communication from a tutor with years of experience using Rhino, you can get to advance 3d modeling quickly and complete your projects and assignments way before the deadline, or can create amazing 3D designs that you would not have the capability to do before.

I started using Rhino when it was Rhino 4 and now it is Rhino 8 and it is been on this journey where I have seen how Rhino has developed over the years and also I have found and developed successful ways of integrating Rhino with other Architecture software programs like Revit, SketchUp, Lumion, ArchiCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop and lots more.

One last thing about Rhino

So one of the very important things about Rhino which I missed out before is that the integration is very nice. You can integrate the Rhino model with other programs and you can utilize the model for several purposes like 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC milling and lots more. You can even import 3D models from other programs successfully and develop it in Rhino. So Overall, I would say that all the great design architects like Zaha Hadid, BIG Architects, OMA, SOM, UnStudio, Toyo Ito,.. all use Rhino 3D as their primary 3D modeling software and a 3D designing software because you have freedom of creating any design that you like without any restrictions and it is very very easy to use if you know how to use it.