Interface Set-up
Rhino and Grasshopper Interface set-up and navigation
Rhino Toolbars
In the latest version each plug-in installer comes loaded with its own rhino tool bar file and are automatically saved in the Rhino toolbar directory.
If you are using a number of the Geometry Gym plug-ins in Rhino you can create a new toolbar group by using the Tools > Toolbar Layout... from the rhino toolbar.
Note in Rhino 5 toolbars are grouped so you will see all the geometry gym plug-in tool bars even if you have only installed one of the installers. This has been changed in Rhino 6 for each plug-in to have a separate toolbar.
You can get more information on setting up a preferred rhino toolbar environment from the Rhino help menu.
Rhino Command Line
All the Geometry Gym commands that are available from the plug-ins can be access via commands in the Rhino command line.
There is further explanation of each rhino command under the Tools for Rhino sections in each Category.
Working with the command line
Many users like to operate Rhino primarily using the toolbars via their mouse, but of course commands can also be run from the menus, or by typing commands (or shortcut aliases) in the command window. Primarily this is the way we work, and this technical documentation will generally refer to commands by their command name (hopefully this allows users to find references in this technical documentation easier).
If you're a convert from CAD programs such as AutoCAD or Microstation, you'll probably be reluctant to learn a whole new suite of commands (however similar they may be) for Rhino. If this is so it is recommend using a Rhino alias to allow you to use command names/shortcuts that you are already familiar with, and most importantly allows you to use multiple cad environments simultaneously without frustration. To do this, use the menu Tools > Options > RhinoOptions > Aliases. A simple example is assigning an alias id to '_evaluatept.
Setting Up Grasshopper
Due to the number of structural analysis plug-ins we have the ggStructuralAnalysis tab can become hard to manage if multiple plug-ins are installed.
Typically you will only use one or two plug-ins at a time, therefore you can unload the other plug-ins temporarily to free up space on the toolbar.
Go to Tools -> Options
Select Plug-ins from the browser and then select Plug-ins that did not ship with Rhino from the drop down menu
Deselect plug-ins you are not currently using
Restart Rhino
If you are using Rhino 6 you can also simply create another file in the directory of which the plug-in is loaded with the extension .n06 and this will block the plug-in from loading in grasshopper.
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