Now instructing in Rhino 8!
LEVEL I RHINO TRAINING COURSE DESCRIPTION
LEVEL I RHINO TRAINING COURSE DESCRIPTION
"...when you showed how you made that ring using edge curves i thought, he"s a f*&%%$# genius. That five minute clip of how you did that was the best thing ive seen by far. i had been playing with some different shaped signets and i ran into the open problem with the curve network on a hex or oct. really cool to see that work." ~ Timothy Falls
I normally follow the Portland Jewelry academy semester schedule and offer live webinar courses twice each year, beginning in February and September. However, with a group of 4 or more students, I would be happy to do a live course prior to the PJA schedule of classes.
The next currently scheduled live course will begin February 9th 2026. All class dates follows:
Week 1: Feb 9th, 12th
Week 2: Feb 19th
Week 3: Feb 26th
Week 4: March 5th
Week 5: March 9th, 12th
If you wish to get started right away... I will give you access to archived class recordings immediately with paid registration.
Once registered, you will have quick access to me for questions as they may come up while you proceed through the comprehensive instructional videos. I will check your homework, follow your progress closely and provide constructive criticism and feedback throughout the course.
And…you will still be eligible to participate in the next live class if you wish!
I have a lot of students do the course entirely by video.
***
The course…
…will consist of 7 sessions, approximately 3 hours in length with 1, 2, or more sessions per week, depending on the student population for any given live course or the ambition of the student using video instruction. See bolded text above for the course schedule of the next available class. Schedules allow students time to practice, review videos of the class and be prepared for new information in the following class.
Each live session is recorded and students are given access to the recordings for review the day after each class.
Homework is assigned and we track student practice during the course.
*****
Note to Professional Organizations: The course schedule CAN be modified to adapt to varying institutional needs. (Contact me to discuss...examples include a 2.5-day intensive course and a 6, half-day course schedule.)
*****
The course is offered as Level I Training for the Rhinoceros3D CAD application, suitable for beginning to intermediate users of Rhino 8. The course is also occasionally taken by advanced CAD designers who are either converting to Rhino, or would like an in-depth review or update to Rhino 8 and SubD.
While Rhino3D can be used in all manner of design applications, my students are often particularly interested in its use in jewelry design and prototyping and my course material tends to reflect that student population. We will be loosely following the McNeel Level I Training Guide (I'll show you where to find this in the first class) but I will provide many examples specific to Jewelry Design!
Cost: US$750
***
Refund Policy:
Once paid, my standard 7-session course is fully refundable until the beginning of the 2nd live class or the link to the second class archived video is sent to the student. Refund requests after the second class will be prorated by the number of classes delivered either live or by video until the beginning of the 6th class, after which no refund is available.
Thank you for your understanding!
***
Register: Here
Note: Portland Jewelry Academy Students are automatically registered and if you are enrolled at PJA, you are registered!
Procedure:
The pace for each 3 hour webinar will be rapid. The webinar software we use allows for student comments in a text-like form and open-mike dialog when necessary but the class will primarily consist of instruction with the expectation that students will attempt to follow along in Rhino and keep the pace.
That being said, students are encouraged to speak up if you would like clarification at any time. Remember, there are no dumb questions. But I may provide unclear answers …so if I’m not being clear and you are confused about something, someone else in the group is probably feeling the same way.
BE THE PERSON who speaks up and therefore helps the group progress.
Prerequisites:
Good News for Students with Mac computers!
While I will be teaching on a PC the UI in Rhino 8 has been changed such that the Mac and PC interfaces are nearly the same. Please note however, that some of the conventions in these two systems are different. Familiarity with your OS is crucial to easily following the instruction.
For Class you will need…
Audio
You will need some sort of audio to hear the instructor. A sound card with speakers or headphone is required and it is highly recommended to have a mic or headphone with mic for best audio. We will have open mic introductions and Q/A sessions.
Monitor/s
The ideal situation would be for you to have two screens attached to your computer. One is to follow my instruction and the other would be for you to have for using Rhino yourself, following along as we move through the exercises. In that you can log into the class on any sort of device, many students have used two devices during class time, one to log into the class to hear and watch my instruction, and the other to run Rhino. You can, of course use one monitor with two windows open, but that leaves rather small video real-estate for either application.
Operating systems:
Not supported:
Level I Training Manual is now an HTML page, it is here.
Additional (bonus) materials will be provided during the course.
How to Get the Most Out of This Course
The next currently scheduled live course will begin February 9th 2026. All class dates follows:
Week 1: Feb 9th, 12th
Week 2: Feb 19th
Week 3: Feb 26th
Week 4: March 5th
Week 5: March 9th, 12th
If you wish to get started right away... I will give you access to archived class recordings immediately with paid registration.
Once registered, you will have quick access to me for questions as they may come up while you proceed through the comprehensive instructional videos. I will check your homework, follow your progress closely and provide constructive criticism and feedback throughout the course.
And…you will still be eligible to participate in the next live class if you wish!
I have a lot of students do the course entirely by video.
***
The course…
…will consist of 7 sessions, approximately 3 hours in length with 1, 2, or more sessions per week, depending on the student population for any given live course or the ambition of the student using video instruction. See bolded text above for the course schedule of the next available class. Schedules allow students time to practice, review videos of the class and be prepared for new information in the following class.
Each live session is recorded and students are given access to the recordings for review the day after each class.
Homework is assigned and we track student practice during the course.
*****
Note to Professional Organizations: The course schedule CAN be modified to adapt to varying institutional needs. (Contact me to discuss...examples include a 2.5-day intensive course and a 6, half-day course schedule.)
*****
The course is offered as Level I Training for the Rhinoceros3D CAD application, suitable for beginning to intermediate users of Rhino 8. The course is also occasionally taken by advanced CAD designers who are either converting to Rhino, or would like an in-depth review or update to Rhino 8 and SubD.
While Rhino3D can be used in all manner of design applications, my students are often particularly interested in its use in jewelry design and prototyping and my course material tends to reflect that student population. We will be loosely following the McNeel Level I Training Guide (I'll show you where to find this in the first class) but I will provide many examples specific to Jewelry Design!
Cost: US$750
***
Refund Policy:
Once paid, my standard 7-session course is fully refundable until the beginning of the 2nd live class or the link to the second class archived video is sent to the student. Refund requests after the second class will be prorated by the number of classes delivered either live or by video until the beginning of the 6th class, after which no refund is available.
Thank you for your understanding!
***
Register: Here
Note: Portland Jewelry Academy Students are automatically registered and if you are enrolled at PJA, you are registered!
Procedure:
The pace for each 3 hour webinar will be rapid. The webinar software we use allows for student comments in a text-like form and open-mike dialog when necessary but the class will primarily consist of instruction with the expectation that students will attempt to follow along in Rhino and keep the pace.
That being said, students are encouraged to speak up if you would like clarification at any time. Remember, there are no dumb questions. But I may provide unclear answers …so if I’m not being clear and you are confused about something, someone else in the group is probably feeling the same way.
BE THE PERSON who speaks up and therefore helps the group progress.
Prerequisites:
- Good working knowledge of your operating system. (Windows or Mac)
- Ability to control a mouse or equivalent pointing device with precision.
- Download and Install evaluation version of Rhino 8 for Windows
- download
- Or purchase commercial or student version as appropriate. (PJA Students, your license is included in your tuition.)
Good News for Students with Mac computers!
While I will be teaching on a PC the UI in Rhino 8 has been changed such that the Mac and PC interfaces are nearly the same. Please note however, that some of the conventions in these two systems are different. Familiarity with your OS is crucial to easily following the instruction.
For Class you will need…
Audio
You will need some sort of audio to hear the instructor. A sound card with speakers or headphone is required and it is highly recommended to have a mic or headphone with mic for best audio. We will have open mic introductions and Q/A sessions.
Monitor/s
The ideal situation would be for you to have two screens attached to your computer. One is to follow my instruction and the other would be for you to have for using Rhino yourself, following along as we move through the exercises. In that you can log into the class on any sort of device, many students have used two devices during class time, one to log into the class to hear and watch my instruction, and the other to run Rhino. You can, of course use one monitor with two windows open, but that leaves rather small video real-estate for either application.
Operating systems:
- Windows11, 10, 8.1, or 7 SP1
- Or Mac OS
- Download and installation.
- License validation.
- Rhino account for:
- Technical support on the forum.
- Cloud Zoo licence management.
Not supported:
- Linux
- Windows 8
- Windows XP 64-bit
- Windows Vista, NT, 95, 98, ME, or 2000
- Windows 32-bit all versions
- Virtualization systems on OS X such as VMWare and Parallels
- OS X 10.10.4 (early versions of Yosemite) and any earlier versions
Level I Training Manual is now an HTML page, it is here.
Additional (bonus) materials will be provided during the course.
How to Get the Most Out of This Course
- Arrive on time, I tend to start classes when they are scheduled to start.
- Arrive rested and ready to learn.
- Read the Training manual and practice both before, to prepare, and after class to embed the info.
- I suggest at bare minimum, one hour a day between classes.
- Make the effort to keep up with the exercises we will do in class.
- But don’t fall way behind if you miss one thing.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
- Do none of the above.
Syllabus
(For use within accredited learning institutions)
©Rhino Jewelry CAD 2021
Level I NURBS Modeling 2021
Procedure:
The pace for each 3 hour webinar will be rapid. The webinar software we use allows for student comments in a text-like form and open-mike dialog when necessary but the class will primarily consist of instruction with the expectation that students will attempt to follow along in Rhino and keep the pace.
That being said, please don’t hesitate to speak up if you would like clarification at any time. Remember, there are no dumb questions. But I may provide unclear answers …so if I’m not being clear and you are confused about something, someone else in the group is probably feeling the same way.
BE THE PERSON who speaks up and therefore helps the group progress.
Prerequisites:
Good working knowledge of the Windows operating system.
A final word for now, and I cannot emphasize this enough… You will need to practice every day!!
I start out the class very slowly with an in-depth look at the overall interface, and the pace picks up, becoming quite rapid during later part of the course. You will have a video of each class within the course for review so don’t panic if you fall behind in any specific class, but you will have to put in the time to get the most out of this professional-level course of instruction.
About this schedule:
Please consider this a tentative schedule. Since I let class interests partially dictate the direction within any given class, the order and pace of topics may vary considerably from this overview.
Schedule: 7 3-hr. sessions.
Session 1 Topics
Relevant Pages. 9-33
Introduction
Rhino interface
Rhino interface, panning & zooming
Gumball
Working with Objects
Q&A
Session 2 Topic 33-86
Creating geometry
Precision Modeling
Constraints
Object Snaps
Modeling Aids
Working with C-Planes
Modeling in 3-D Space
Q&A
Session 3 Topic 87-124
Modeling
Editing
Precision modeling
Creating 3-D Geometry
Constraints
Boolean Operations
Rendering
Filleting
Blends
Lofts
Q&A
Session 4 Topic 125-161
Editing
Fillet
Chamfer
Control point editing, modeling with solids
Transform
Working with Solids
Gumball
Offsets
Shell
Q&A
Session 5 Topic 161-191
Surfacing
Point Editing
Degree
Deformable Shapes
Orient
Rendering
Q&A
Session 6 Topic 191-278
Modeling with Solids
Import / export,
Rendering
Dimensioning
Printing
Customization
Extrusion
Sweeps
Analysis
Annotation
Q&A
Session 7 Topic 278-316
SubD
Preview Grasshopper
Rendering
Q&A
(For use within accredited learning institutions)
©Rhino Jewelry CAD 2021
Level I NURBS Modeling 2021
Procedure:
The pace for each 3 hour webinar will be rapid. The webinar software we use allows for student comments in a text-like form and open-mike dialog when necessary but the class will primarily consist of instruction with the expectation that students will attempt to follow along in Rhino and keep the pace.
That being said, please don’t hesitate to speak up if you would like clarification at any time. Remember, there are no dumb questions. But I may provide unclear answers …so if I’m not being clear and you are confused about something, someone else in the group is probably feeling the same way.
BE THE PERSON who speaks up and therefore helps the group progress.
Prerequisites:
Good working knowledge of the Windows operating system.
- Ability to control a mouse or equivalent pointing device with precision.
- Download and Install evaluation version of Rhino 6 for Windows
- download
- Or purchase commercial version.
- https://www.rhino3d.com/sales/north-america/United_States
A final word for now, and I cannot emphasize this enough… You will need to practice every day!!
I start out the class very slowly with an in-depth look at the overall interface, and the pace picks up, becoming quite rapid during later part of the course. You will have a video of each class within the course for review so don’t panic if you fall behind in any specific class, but you will have to put in the time to get the most out of this professional-level course of instruction.
About this schedule:
Please consider this a tentative schedule. Since I let class interests partially dictate the direction within any given class, the order and pace of topics may vary considerably from this overview.
Schedule: 7 3-hr. sessions.
Session 1 Topics
Relevant Pages. 9-33
Introduction
Rhino interface
Rhino interface, panning & zooming
Gumball
Working with Objects
Q&A
Session 2 Topic 33-86
Creating geometry
Precision Modeling
Constraints
Object Snaps
Modeling Aids
Working with C-Planes
Modeling in 3-D Space
Q&A
Session 3 Topic 87-124
Modeling
Editing
Precision modeling
Creating 3-D Geometry
Constraints
Boolean Operations
Rendering
Filleting
Blends
Lofts
Q&A
Session 4 Topic 125-161
Editing
Fillet
Chamfer
Control point editing, modeling with solids
Transform
Working with Solids
Gumball
Offsets
Shell
Q&A
Session 5 Topic 161-191
Surfacing
Point Editing
Degree
Deformable Shapes
Orient
Rendering
Q&A
Session 6 Topic 191-278
Modeling with Solids
Import / export,
Rendering
Dimensioning
Printing
Customization
Extrusion
Sweeps
Analysis
Annotation
Q&A
Session 7 Topic 278-316
SubD
Preview Grasshopper
Rendering
Q&A