Installation

Get Balarhinos installed and running in Rhino 8.

Balarhinos is designed specifically for Rhino 8 to take advantage of the modern .NET 8.0 environment and WebView2 UI integration.

Prerequisites

Before installing, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

Required

  • Rhino 8: Version 8.0 or higher is required.
  • Node.js v18+: Required for the plugin UI. Download Node.js (~50 MB)
  • Azure Account: Contact your administrator for authentication credentials.
  • Windows 10/11: 64-bit.

Optional (for GPU Features)

  • NVIDIA GPU: Required for OptiX-based analysis (Sun Study, View Studies).
    • Architecture: Maxwell (GTX 900 series) or newer. RTX (2000 series or newer) strongly recommended for real-time performance.
    • VRAM: 2GB minimum; 4GB+ recommended for large scenes.
    • Drivers: Latest NVIDIA Studio or Game Ready drivers (must support CUDA 12.x and OptiX 8.0+).
  • CUDA Toolkit 12.x: Download CUDA (~3 GB)
  • OptiX SDK 8.0+: Download OptiX (~50 MB)
ℹ️

GPU features are optional! Balarhinos will work in fallback mode without CUDA/OptiX. You can install GPU prerequisites later if needed.

The easiest way to install Balarhinos is through Rhino's built-in Package Manager:

Step 1: Open Package Manager

  1. Open Rhino 8
  2. Go to Tools → Package Manager
  3. Search for "Balarhinos"

Step 2: Install

  1. Click the Install button next to Balarhinos
  2. Wait for the installation to complete
  3. Restart Rhino when prompted

That's it! Balarhinos is now installed and ready to use.

Step 3: First Launch

  1. Type Balarhinos in the Rhino command line
  2. The Balarhinos panel will appear on the right side
  3. Click "Login with Microsoft" to authenticate
  4. Enter your organization credentials
  5. Start analyzing!

Alternative: Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually or are testing a development build:

Option 1: Using Yak CLI

# Download the .yak package from releases
# Then install via command line:
yak install balarhinos-0.1.0.yak --source=.

Option 2: Drag and Drop

  1. Download the Plugin: Get the latest .rhp file from the releases page.
  2. Unblock File:
    • Right-click on the .rhp file
    • Select Properties
    • Check the Unblock box and click Apply
  3. Install in Rhino:
    • Open Rhino 8
    • Drag and drop the BalaRhinos.rhp file onto the Rhino viewport
    • Confirm the installation when prompted
  4. Restart Rhino

Post-Installation Setup

Installing Node.js (Required)

If you don't have Node.js installed:

  1. Download from nodejs.org
  2. Install the LTS version (v18 or higher recommended)
  3. Restart Rhino after installation
  4. Verify installation: Open command prompt and type node --version

Installing GPU Prerequisites (Optional)

For GPU-accelerated features:

  1. Install CUDA Toolkit:

    • Download from NVIDIA CUDA Downloads
    • Choose CUDA Toolkit 12.x (latest version)
    • Follow the installer instructions
    • Size: ~3 GB

  2. Install OptiX SDK:

    • Download from NVIDIA OptiX
    • Choose OptiX 8.0 or higher
    • Follow the installer instructions
    • Size: ~50 MB

  3. Restart Rhino to detect the new GPU libraries

ℹ️

GPU prerequisites can be installed at any time. Balarhinos will automatically detect them and enable GPU features when available.

Verifying Installation

To verify that Balarhinos is working correctly:

  1. Type Balarhinos in the Rhino command line
  2. The Balarhinos panel should appear on the right side of the screen
  3. You should see a login screen (if not authenticated yet)
  4. After logging in, the full interface should load

Troubleshooting

Panel won't open:

  • Ensure Node.js v18+ is installed: node --version
  • Restart Rhino after installing Node.js
  • Check Rhino's command history for error messages

Blank panel:

  • Check your internet connection (Azure authentication required)
  • Verify you have access to your organization's Azure tenant
  • Check Rhino console for errors (type _CommandHistory)

GPU features not working:

  • Verify CUDA and OptiX are installed
  • Check NVIDIA drivers are up to date
  • GPU features will automatically enable when prerequisites are detected

Authentication fails:

  • Contact your administrator for Azure credentials
  • Ensure you're part of the organization's Azure Entra ID tenant
  • Check firewall settings aren't blocking Azure authentication

Automatic Updates

Balarhinos updates are delivered through the Rhino Package Manager:

  1. When an update is available, you'll see a notification in Tools → Package Manager
  2. Click Update next to Balarhinos
  3. Restart Rhino to apply the update

Updates are automatic and seamless - no need to uninstall or manually download files!

Uninstalling

To uninstall Balarhinos:

  1. Open Tools → Package Manager
  2. Find Balarhinos in the installed packages list
  3. Click the Uninstall button
  4. Restart Rhino

All plugin files and settings will be removed.

Next Steps

Now that you've installed the plugin, proceed to First Steps to learn how to use it.

Support

Need help with installation?