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This documentation helps to understand how to work with the plugin for Rhinoceros for Mac.

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What do I need to know to use the plugin?

Note that the Maxwell plugin for Rhinoceros for Mac does not have the same functionality as the version for Windows. Therefore, we are also including Maxwell | Studio as a complement in case you need to access all the features that Maxwell offers. For information on how to work with Studio, please check this link: Maxwell Studio. We'll keep evolving the plugin trying to add as many features as we can in order to provide the best workflow possible.

System Requirements

The plugin requires a minimum of Mac OSX 10.9 and Rhino for Mac 5.2.2.

Installation

To install the plugin, follow these steps:

1. Double-click the plugin's .dmg file.
2. Inside, double-click the maxwell_rhino.macrhi file.
3. Rhino will start, and will install the plugin.
4. Restart Rhino.

The standard Rhino installation location for the plugin (in case it should be necessary to start Maxwell applications from outside the plugin) is:

/Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/McNeel/Rhinoceros/MacPlugIns/maxwell_rhino.rhp

The maxwell_rhino.rhp file is a bundle, which contains the plugin files, its included Maxwell applications, and related support files. To open it, right-click and choose Show Package Contents.

Toolbar

The plugin's toolbar (which may be shown or hidden using Window > Active Tool Palettes > Maxwell) contains six buttons:

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Rendering and Export

When the Render or Export to Studio buttons are pressed, the plugin will translate the model to Maxwell's MXS format, and either render the written MXS file, or open it in Maxwell Studio. The location of the exported MXS is controlled using Output > Output Directory; if no path is set here, the MXS will be written next to the .3dm file (or in <home>/Maxwell, if the document has not yet been saved). If any warnings or errors are generated during the export, they will be reported in the Rhino command log.

See the main documentation for more information on Maxwell Render and Maxwell Studio.

Maxwell MXED and Materials

Materials are handled by reference, with the names of Maxwell MXM files being associated by name with the Rhino materials assigned to objects. To edit an object's material, simply select the object and click Open MXED; an MXM file corresponding to the selected object's Rhino material will either be created or opened in MXED, depending on whether it already exists in the textures folder created next to the current .3dm. When a Rhino material's corresponding MXM file is created, it will be based on a translation of the Rhino material; similarly, Maxwell materials will be generated during export, for any Rhino materials that lack associated MXM files.

To assign an arbitrary MXM file to an object's material:

1. Select the object whose material you wish to edit.
2. Click the Open MXED toolbar button.
3. In MXED, click Edit > Embed MXM and select the desired MXM file.
4. Click the Save and Close button (next to the Preview drop-down menu, it has a disc icon).

To download an MXM from the Maxwell MXM Gallery and assign it to an object's material:

1. Select the object whose material you wish to edit.
2. Click the Open MXED toolbar button.
3. In MXED, go to the Browser tab, search for a material, and click the Import button.
4. Go back to the Editor tab and click File > Save MXM As.
5. Browse to the textures folder found next to the your .3dm.
6. Overwrite the material's corresponding MXM file.
7. Click the Save and Close button (next to the Preview drop-down menu, it has a disc icon).

For information on using MXED to work with MXM materials, see the main materials documentation.

Camera Properties

For each view in Rhino, an associated Maxwell camera will be exported. By default, the Maxwell camera will take its resolution and film size from its associated viewport; however, by disabling the Use Viewport Resolution option, it is possible to set any resolution and film size desired. Keep in mind that in order to keep a perspective match between the viewport and Maxwell camera, it is necessary to ensure that the film is either 24mm high, if the viewport is wider than it is tall, or 24mm wide, if it is taller than it is wide.

For information on the camera parameters, see the main camera documentation.

Environment and Output Properties

The parameters exposed by these commands are explained in the main documentation. Note that no GMT offset parameter is exposed, as this is calculated automatically during export.

Commands

All of the above-mentioned features may be scripted, as they are implemented in terms of Rhino commands:

What is and what is not included in the plugin?

In this table you can check some of Maxwell's key features and which are included or not:

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FIRE Image Removed Multilight (intensity and color) Image Removed GPU support Image Removed Rhino native materials automatic translation Image Removed Integrated Maxwell material editor Image Removed Referenced Maxwell materials (MXM) Image Removed Access to online Material Gallery Image Removed MXED Procedural Textures Image Removed Network rendering system Image Removed Render channels Image Removed Simulens Image Removed Extra Sampling Image Removed Motion Blur Image Removed Instances support Image Removed MXS referencing Image Removed Maxwell extensions (Grass, Sea, Volumetrics,...) Image Removed

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Maxwell | Rhinoceros for Mac documentation