Using the new goBIM API, I wrote a simple Rhino exporter which translates mesh objects from Rhino into goBIM objects, and uploads them to the server. The cool thing about Rhino is that you can control the density of the mesh that is created when you convert your surfaces. One difficulty is attempting to map materials from the Rhino model to goBIM. In a Revit model, for instance, there is a material list and each object is “made” from one material in that list. In Rhino, materials are just a bunch of properties like color, transparency, and texture. goBIM was designed to use building type materials by name. So if your material is called something like “wood,”"steel,” or “glass,” there is a goBIM material that is hard coded to look loosely like those materials. In the next update to the goBIM app, this is going to be something that I have to consider quite closely because every application handles their materials differently. I think for the purpose of the goBIM API, materials will be an enumerated list like goBIM_Material_Wood, goBIM_Material_Steel, etc. You’ll have a fixed number of options.

For this example I created a simple height field in Rhino, and meshed it to a resolution that didn’t look too scary, and ran the new exporter.

Then I just opened goBIM and pointed it to the file.

I’m going to put the exporter through its paces a little more before releasing it here. But, rest assured, Rhino is coming to goBIM soon!