RhinoSpatial

Bring real site context into Rhino and Grasshopper.

Choose a study area once, then add maps, terrain, buildings, imagery and project data in one aligned workspace. RhinoSpatial helps architects, urban designers and landscape architects assemble useful context for site analysis, concept design and early-stage studies.

The workflow stays familiar in Grasshopper: one Spatial Context, connected to the layers your project needs. Data is placed near Rhino's origin by default, so it remains practical to view and model. Projects that need original coordinates can use Use Absolute Coordinates.

First workflow · Working with project data · Examples · Website · Releases

Install

RhinoSpatial runs in Rhino 8 and Grasshopper on macOS and Windows.

1. Open Rhino 8 and run PackageManager.
2. Search for RhinoSpatial and install it.
3. Restart Rhino or Grasshopper if requested.
4. Look for the RhinoSpatial tab in Grasshopper.

For manual installation, download the ZIP from GitHub Releases and follow the installation guide. RhinoSpatial is also available on Food4Rhino.

The public release is 0.4.0. The main branch contains newer compatibility work for the next release. Features described as development require a build from main; updating the repository does not update an installed plugin. See what is available in each version.

Start with one area

1. Place Spatial Context and connect a Button to Open Map.
2. Open the map and draw a small rectangle around your project.
3. Connect the same Spatial Context output to each source component.
4. Add one layer, check its result, then build up the rest of the study.

If you already have a supported service or project file, connect it to Reference Source before opening the map. RhinoSpatial uses its location and coordinate information to orient the map. The referenced data is loaded only when you connect it to a source component. A saved study area takes priority when you reopen the definition.

flowchart LR
    A["Select one study area"] --> B["Spatial Context"]
    B --> C["Maps and imagery"]
    B --> D["Project vectors"]
    B --> E["Terrain"]
    B --> F["3D buildings"]
    B --> G["OSM context"]
    B --> H["Google 3D reference"]

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Try imagery with parcels for a site plan, terrain with buildings for a context model, or OSM for a quick figure-ground study. The visual workflow walks through the components, and the example definitions provide starting points you can adapt to your own project.

Choose the layers you need

What you need	Component	Typical sources
A shared study area and placement	Spatial Context	Map selection, optionally oriented from a service or file
Parcels, boundaries, roads, planning layers or points	Load WFS	WFS, OGC API Features, Shapefile and GeoJSON; development also adds GeoPackage and direct downloads
Maps and orthophotos	Load WMS	WMS; development also adds WMTS tile services
Georeferenced project imagery	Load GeoTIFF	Local GeoTIFF; development also adds world-file imagery and remote COG windows
Ground and elevation	Load Terrain	WCS, local DEMs, ASCII Grid and regular XYZ/CSV grids; development also adds ATOM and COG elevation sources
3D building and roof geometry	Load LoD2 Buildings	WFS, supported ATOM services, CityGML, CityJSON, folders and archives
Quick urban and landscape context	Load OSM	OpenStreetMap buildings, roads, water, green areas and rail
Photogrammetric visual comparison	3D Tiles Viewer (Google)	Temporary Google 3D reference using your own API key

List WFS Layers and List WMS Layers help choose a layer from a service. In development, List WFS Layers also lists local GeoPackage feature layers. Component names remain familiar as the supported sources grow.

For help choosing a service, download or local file, read Working with project data. Exact formats, inputs and limits are in the Component and Source Reference.

Working with real project data

Use official or project-specific sources when accuracy and provenance matter. Built-in imagery and terrain fallbacks, along with OSM, can help you get oriented quickly. Their coverage, resolution and detail depend on the source.

Start with a small area and read the component's Status output if a layer is missing or takes longer than expected. Coordinate systems, available coverage and source formats can vary. RhinoSpatial reports unsupported data or placement rather than guessing where it belongs.

Google 3D Tiles are a visual reference viewer. They require your own Google Maps Platform setup and are not provided as editable, bakeable or exportable project data. See the viewer guidance for setup and usage information.

Documentation

The documentation index brings the guides, component reference, examples and project information together.

Start here	Go deeper
Visual workflow — build a study step by step	Component reference — formats, inputs, placement and limits
Working with project data — choose sources and resolve common problems	Test source catalogue — provider examples and recorded checks
Grasshopper examples — reusable definitions and sample files	Validation checklist — checks before a release
Installation — Package Manager and manual setup	Changelog — released changes and work on main

The project scope explains the design principles. The roadmap records current priorities. Developers can find build instructions and documentation guidance in Contributing.

About the project

RhinoSpatial is created by Pascal Nünninghoff and released under the MIT License. Bundled library licenses are recorded in Third-Party Notices.

Bug reports, workflow feedback and small, shareable examples are welcome through GitHub Issues.