Revit vs. Rhino 3D

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Revit
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk’s Revit is a Building Information Modelling (BIM) tool. It enables architectural, MEP, structural, and engineering design, and provides analysis to support iterative workflows
$350
per month
Rhino
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Robert McNeel and Associates headquartered in Seattle offers Rhinoceros 3D (or Rhino 3D), a 3D modeling and design application. Rhino can create, edit, analyze, document, render, animate, and translate NURBS curves, surfaces and solids, subdivision geometry (SubD), point clouds, and polygon meshes.
$995
one-time fee
Pricing
RevitRhino 3D
Editions & Modules
Monthly
$350
per month
1-Year
$2805
per year
3-Year
$8415
per 3 years
Rhino 3D for Windows & Mac
$995
one-time fee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RevitRhino
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing available for monthly, annual, or 3-year subscriptions. Longer subscriptions offer greater discounts.Discount available for students and faculty.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RevitRhino 3D
Considered Both Products
Revit
Chose Revit
First and foremost, Revit is BIM-based software, which in itself offers significant advantages over 3D modelling programmes such as Rhino or SketchUp. Project management takes place on several levels as well as in different time phases (for example, it is also possible to …
Chose Revit
Revit is the most set up for full size drawing sets and ease of translating drawings to sheets.
Chose Revit
Revit makes 3D modeling accessible and efficient, allowing users to create complex models without needing to navigate overly complicated systems. Its intuitive tools help streamline the modeling process, enabling designers to focus more on design intent. This ease of use is …
Chose Revit
Revit is hands on and easy to learn. Very accurate and great for construction documentation. One can create in 2D and have elevations, sections and 3D views ready. So it is very helpful to visualize. Drawback - It is comparatively harder to draw curves and spherical …
Chose Revit
Revit is great for documentation. I also use Rhino 3D for rapid prototype scenarios that can be imported in, but in the end everything should be documented in Revit because it really is easy.
Chose Revit
There are really no competitors to Revit for large complex building projects. It is essentially an industry standard, and we would not be able to complete our work or collaborate with our consultants effectively if we did not use Revit. AutoCAD is still used in the office for …
Rhino
Chose Rhino 3D
I think that out of all of these, Rhino is best at having the freedom to design in 3D specifically, and it is a better 3D design tool than SketchUp and Revit. I think it pairs really well with the use of AutoCAD for 2D construction drawings and other 2D outputs.
Chose Rhino 3D
Rhinoceros 3D is an excellent tool for quick concepts, as are programs like SketchUp and AutoCAD. However, Rhinoceros 3D excels at being flexible in terms of file exports and the capability to work with other software easily like Adobe Creative Suite, Revit, and more. It is a …
Chose Rhino 3D
Our company has all of these products listed above. In the design field, it would be misguided to think that one tool is all you need for a collection of staff with varying levels of expertise. It's not a question of 'one or the other', but rather how can they all contribute to …
Chose Rhino 3D
Rhino is a generic platform. For BIM, you can combine it with Revit or ARCHICAD or look for extensions, such as VisualArq or the GeometyGym extensions for Grasshopper. Due to its good interoperability, I often use it for reviewing AutoCAD drawings or converting 3D models. …
Chose Rhino 3D
It's hard to compare Rhino to other modeling software as Rhino is in a niche of its own. No other software (to my knowledge) is as customizable/programmable and has such a large community and such a large amount of free, open-source addons.
Rhino (and Grasshopper) can be …
Chose Rhino 3D
Rhino serves a very specific purpose in my work: for any geometry that can't be described simply in plan and section, Rhino offers tools to model and document these geometries. With the Grasshopper plugin, Rhino is my go-to tool for any parametric design tasks, such as creating …
Features
RevitRhino 3D
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Revit
7.2
6 Ratings
3% below category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history6.74 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.44 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting6.54 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management6.95 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.13 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Revit
7.2
4 Ratings
1% below category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Pay calculation7.44 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.64 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.14 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files7.14 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.63 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Revit
6.6
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets6.64 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Revit
6.3
11 Ratings
21% below category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Dashboards4.46 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports4.78 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports8.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Data exportability7.611 Ratings00 Ratings
Construction Project & Field Management
Comparison of Construction Project & Field Management features of Product A and Product B
Revit
7.5
53 Ratings
1% above category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Plan distribution & viewing7.951 Ratings00 Ratings
Plan markups & sharing8.044 Ratings00 Ratings
Issue tracking & punchlists6.932 Ratings00 Ratings
Photo documentation8.921 Ratings00 Ratings
Jobsite reports8.118 Ratings00 Ratings
Document sharing7.646 Ratings00 Ratings
RFI tools6.525 Ratings00 Ratings
Collaboration & approvals8.542 Ratings00 Ratings
As-built drawings8.750 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile app5.017 Ratings00 Ratings
Submittal design and management7.322 Ratings00 Ratings
Checklists7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Meeting Minutes8.06 Ratings00 Ratings
Specifications6.614 Ratings00 Ratings
Change orders6.59 Ratings00 Ratings
Estimating
Comparison of Estimating features of Product A and Product B
Revit
8.2
37 Ratings
6% above category average
Rhino 3D
-
Ratings
Takeoff tools8.437 Ratings00 Ratings
Job costing7.028 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost databases8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost calculator8.522 Ratings00 Ratings
Bid creation9.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Computer-Aided Design Software
Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Product A and Product B
Revit
-
Ratings
Rhino 3D
4.5
1 Ratings
49% below category average
3D Modeling00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
2D Drafting00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
Parametric Design00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Assembly Design00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Customization and Extensions00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
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User Ratings
RevitRhino 3D
Likelihood to Recommend
8.8
(54 ratings)
8.0
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(8 ratings)
7.5
(4 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
RevitRhino 3D
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
Revit is very well suited to creating designs and construction documents for standard buildings. Buildings that need to utilize phasing in their construction process are also well suited to this software. Revit is not as well suited to buildings that have irregular shapes or components that need to be highly detailed.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
One of the main highlights of Rhino is the built-in visual programming system "Grasshopper". It is widely used for parametric architectural design, by a variety of world-class architectural offices. It is also very popular within architectural schools and universities. Its usefulness has increased a lot by having add-ins, plug-ins, scripts, and integrations with Revit and ARCHICAD for BIM workflows.
Read full review
Pros
Autodesk
  • Revit allows users to create real buildings and is very much rooted in making functional buildings.
  • Revit allows users to collaborate both within their own firms and with other types of firms as well. This is particularly useful for coordinating buildings between architecture and engineering firms.
  • Revit integrates fairly well with other programs such as AutoCAD and Sketchup. This allows us to bring in elements modeled in other programs into our revit models.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
  • Parametric Modeling - Grasshopper allows for easy/rapid iterative process
  • White box renders display - looks great as a quick diagram export with no post-production required.
  • robust command prompts - rhino was originally made for industrial design and it flexes a lot of unique modeling commands that put it up there with SolidWorks
Read full review
Cons
Autodesk
  • Versioning - Revit is not backwards compatible. This creates issues if you are working with people who are using older versions as you cannot save to a previous version. I understand why this is and I do not see this ever changing, however, Its very annoying.
  • Autodesk - They are the 800 pound gorilla in the industry. The lack of competition inhibits development and it seems Autodesk has put more effort into its BIM 360 platform and Revit development has suffered because of it. I would like to see better competition so Autodesk would step up its game.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
  • Rhino has very limited sheet layout tools.
  • Grasshopper could be better integrated into the main interface.
  • Lack of backwards file compatibility can be frustrating.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Autodesk
We will almost certainly be renewing all of our current seats of Revit and will likely be adding seats as we look to get more and more of our staff trained and using Revit. The software is starting to become the standard for our projects as we move forward as more and more of our clients are requesting or accepting use of it
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Usability
Autodesk
It is a professional environment, but far from easy and overly complex in many places. The system is often too deep in settings and overrides (see Visibility/Graphics in combination with linked files, filters, color overrides and view templates). I don't really like the dialog-in-dialog interface and its spartan looks. But it works well overall if you know what you are doing.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Autodesk
Revit seems to always be available when I need it. I have not experiences an outage. There are occasions where we need our internal IT department to trouble shoot a file on our Revit dedicated server and that sometimes causes a delay however that is not a software access issue
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Performance
Autodesk
Revit is a fairly graphics heavy piece of software. It is powerful in its capabilities but as a result it takes a lot of the graphics card, the memory, etc. For all that it can do and the specs of my computer I find it pretty good from a performance standpoint
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Autodesk
Autodesk has always had a good support system in place. There is a massive user base for Revit, and there are thousands of forum threads and other discussions online about any and every problem that you could ever run into. For being such a large program with so many different options, there aren't many roadblocks or pitfalls that users can fall into.
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Robert McNeel and Associates
A majority of the support for Rhinoceros 3D does not come from the company itself, but from online forums and boards where other Rhinoceros 3D users outline their issues and solutions. The Rhinoceros 3D website does not offer much in-depth support and just outlines general how to's. At the same time, online forums allow for more specific issues to be addressed and solved by the Rhinoceros 3D community.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Autodesk
The training was Revit Essentials and it was very beneficial. I would say that it is best to get the training right before you know you will be using Revit as learning the basis then applying what you learned immediately is the most effective and best value for your money.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Autodesk
The online training is hit or miss. I feel that its better to be live to be able to pace and ask questions to a live person as you are learning hwo to do things. Its not natural to learn Revit especially if you know AutoCAD so my suggestion is the live training
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Autodesk
Implementing Revit as your main drafting software (i.e. moving to BIM from CAD) may be a tough decision if you have learned drafting. It is a different way to approach and think about developing a project. However, if you are able to adapt to a new way of thinking and get used to it by working through a few projects than it is as efficient as CAD in most areas in general and will also be both better/worse in some areas
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Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
Revit is used primarily for creation of contract documents and documents that need to be used to build in the field. Sketch Up is great for a quick concept sketch, but lacks the details that Revit has which are needed to construct. AutoCAD is a great tool for details as well, but does not have as many building capabilities as Revit.
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
It's hard to compare Rhino to other modeling software as Rhino is in a niche of its own. No other software (to my knowledge) is as customizable/programmable and has such a large community and such a large amount of free, open-source addons. Rhino (and Grasshopper) can be intimidating at first but once you get familiar with it and grow your toolbox with your own scripts, so much time will be saved
Read full review
Scalability
Autodesk
While I am not directly involved with the deployment of Revit, it seems that our internal IT department has appreciated the ability to increase or decrease the number of seats. I have never had an issue with the deployment if and when needed, especially regarding the availability of a set
Read full review
Robert McNeel and Associates
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • Though implementation of Revit is usually front heavy which means a lot of effort is put in at the front end of the project, the return of investment towards the remainder of the project is really good. All the effort in decisions made at the beginning of the project pays off with Revit incorporating all the building information in the model so the team can glean from this throughout the life of the project is a major plus.
  • A major negative is the many false assumptions that comes with using Revit on a project. Just like any other computer application, Revit is only a tool. It's only as good as the operators who implement this tool. Revit is not a cureall for fixing all the problems that still can come out throughout the life of a design & construction project.
  • A major positive for our office involving the use of Revit is the ability for our staff from multiple offices to work on the same project central file. We don't need to maintain an expensive server. With the addition of Collaboration for Revit the entire project can be stored in the cloud for our staff to access and complete the project faster than ever.
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Robert McNeel and Associates
  • Right away Rhino3D is useful for simple and accurate 3D model import, repair and export all in a variety of formats.
  • Rhino3D is easy to use and learn. The time to productivity is very short with this modeling tool.
  • The price is low for the value received, a great investment.
Read full review
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