Rhino 3D Tip: Human for Grasshopper: UI, Attribute Management, and Advanced Display

Today’s tip: supercharge Grasshopper workflows with the Human plugin for UI, attributes, and display.

Why Human matters

• Bridges Rhino document data (layers, attributes, user text) with Grasshopper definitions.
• Enables richer display: per-object materials, textures, and advanced text tags—without baking.
• Makes metadata-first modeling practical: build logic around attributes and retrieve them reliably.

Install in minutes

• In Rhino, run “PackageManager” and search for “Human” (and “Human UI,” if you need dashboards). Install and restart Rhino.
• Prefer managed installs via Yak to keep teams in sync and definitions portable.

5‑minute starter workflow

• Bring existing geometry in non-destructively with Human’s “Dynamic Geometry Pipeline” (filter by layer/type).
• Attach metadata using “Set User Text” (keys like ID, material, vendor, status).
• Color-code your preview with “Create Material” + “Custom Preview Materials” for immediate visual feedback.
• Label critical elements with “Text Tag 3D” driven by your user text keys (e.g., part numbers).
• Organize outputs using “Create/Set Layer” before baking so downstream CAD/CAM is tidy.
• Bake with attributes using “Bake Geometry” to preserve names, layers, colors, and user text.
• Round-trip: later, pull selected/baked objects back with “Object Attributes” + “Get User Text” to verify or update.

Data and attribute best practices

• Standardize keys: use consistent, lowercase user text keys (e.g., “part_id”, “finish”, “supplier”).
• Keep data-tree alignment explicit: use native “Entwine” and “Replace Paths” to avoid mismatched attributes.
• Version your schema: add a “schema_version” key and increment when definitions evolve.
• Capture GUIDs on bake (Human outputs them) to maintain object-to-data links across sessions.

Display and UI tips

• For fast design reviews, lean on Human’s previews instead of baking; only commit when needed.
• Annotate clearly: combine “Text Tag 3D” with size-aware scaling in perspective views.
• Dashboards: Human UI (separate plugin) lets you build windows with buttons, sliders, lists, and live readouts. Ideal for stakeholder-friendly tools and shop-floor checklists.

Performance and reliability

• Scope pipelines: filter by specific layers/types to keep definitions snappy.
• Throttle updates with “Data Dam” when using dynamic pipelines or large assemblies.
• Prefer preview materials and late baking to avoid heavy Rhino document churn.

Compatibility notes

• Human works on Windows and macOS. Human UI relies on Windows technologies and is best on Windows.
• When collaborating, pin plugin versions so definitions behave consistently across machines.

Need Rhino or planning a team rollout? Get flexible licensing and expert guidance from NOVEDGE. For add‑ons and workflows that pair well with Human, ask the pros at NOVEDGE for recommendations tailored to your pipeline.