How to open a 3DM file without Rhino
Open the file in a 3DM viewer that runs in your browser. Drop the .3dm into the free 3DM viewer and it opens without Rhino installed or a licence, and the file is not uploaded. The piece is shown in real metal and stone materials at the units it was drawn in, with hidden objects and layers left out. To render or share it, upload the same file to the studio.
3D Jewelry Designer2 min read
How do you open a 3DM file in your browser?
- Open the 3DM viewer. It is free and runs in your browser, so there is nothing to install.
- Drop the .3dm file onto it. The file is read with Rhino's own open file library and is not uploaded, so the design stays on your device.
- Check what it found. The parts list shows each object's layer and whether it was recognised as metal or stone, so you can find the band, the head and the stones.
Anyone you send the file to can do the same, without a Rhino licence.
What does a 3DM file hold?
A .3dm is Rhino's native format. Besides the exact surfaces of the model, it stores the units it was drawn in, its layers and which objects are hidden. A normal save also keeps render meshes, the mesh copy of those surfaces that a browser draws. The 3DM file entry covers the format in full.
Why does a 3DM file show little or nothing?
Usually because it was saved with Save Small, which leaves the render meshes out. Ask whoever sent the file to save it normally from Rhino or MatrixGold and send it again. If only one part is missing, it may sit on a hidden layer, since hidden objects and layers are left out on purpose.
Do you need to convert it to STL or GLB first?
No. GLB, STL and OBJ are meshes, which approximate the exact curves of a .3dm, and an STL also drops the units, the separate parts and the materials. The format comparison sets them side by side. If another tool needs a mesh, the studio exports GLB, STL or OBJ from the Growth plan up.
How do you render or share it without Rhino?
Upload the same file to the studio: drag and drop it, or browse to it, as Get started shows. For a ring, Ring parts in the Upload tab lists the band, head, centre stone and accent stones the studio found, and you can switch any part that is wrong.
You can load and configure a piece without signing in. A free account, with no credit card, unlocks saving, sharing and exporting. Exports spend credits: stills go up to 1080p on the Free plan, and turntable video starts on the Starter plan. Rhino and MatrixGold rendering covers the whole route.
Questions
Can I open a MatrixGold file without Rhino?
Yes. MatrixGold saves Rhino's .3dm format, so its files open in the 3DM viewer and in the studio like any other .3dm, with neither program installed.
Can I weigh a 3DM file without Rhino?
Yes. The free metal weight calculator reads the units saved in the .3dm, so a ring drawn in millimetres, centimetres or inches is weighed at its real size, in every common alloy.
Related
- 3DM Viewer: Open Rhino Files Online for Free
Open a Rhino or MatrixGold .3dm file in your browser, rendered as jewelry, with layers, metals and stones detected. No Rhino needed.
- Render Rhino and MatrixGold jewelry files online
Upload a Rhino or MatrixGold .3dm and render it as photoreal jewellery in your browser, with its units and layers kept and metals and stones detected.
- 3DM file: the Rhino format in jewelry CAD
A 3DM file is Rhino's native format, which MatrixGold saves too. What it holds, how it differs from STL and GLB, and how to open one without Rhino.