Rhinoceros

Version tested: Version 8 SR14 (8.14.24345.15001, 2024-12-10) Evaluation

Operating system tested: PC

Tested: 11 January 2025 / Missy Meyer

Cost: $995 USD

Where to get it: https://www.rhino3d.com/

Demo version: Yes, 90 days.

Font file types to use: TTF/OTF single stroke, TTF/OTF double stroke

Image file types to use: SVG

How to See & Use the Fonts

First, make sure that the font is installed on your computer or device. Check the “Install fonts on [operating system]” guides for more information.

Rhino is one of the rare and exciting programs that can use both single stroke and double stroke line fonts! So whether you want to engrave one line from start point to end point, or a double-strength line from start to end point and back again to the start, you’ll be good to go.

For both, we’ll start out by opening up the Text Object panel, by clicking on the Text icon (the blue T in the left-side icon array). I’ve Maximized “Top” view for this.

Here’s where you’ll enter your basic settings for your text.  The blue arrow indicates the initial height in millimeters (though that can be changed later with the Scale function); the green arrow indicates where you choose your font; and the yellow arrow indicates where you’ll enter your text. As usual, I’ve put in the thrilling word “Sample”.

We’ll start out with the single stroke version of the font, by choosing Spicy Sketcher 1. (I indicate the single stroke by ending the name with a 1, and the double stroke by ending the name with a 2 in my fonts. Other font designers may use a different naming method to indicate the difference.)

Whether you’re using a single stroke or double stroke font, you’ll want to make sure the “Curves” button is selected, indicated by the red arrow. This will place the text on your workspace as vector curves.

For single stroke fonts, you need to check the “Engraving font” box indicated by the green arrow; this tells Rhino to not close the path of the strokes by connecting the start and end point with a straight line.

Once you have your text typed in, font selected, “Curves” button selected, and “Engraving font” box checked, click OK.

This will give you a floating version of the text connected to your mouse pointer; just click on your workspace where you want the text to go.

The letters are no longer typeable at this point; text can only be edited in the text box in the Text Object panel.

As you can see, once the letters are placed, each stroke is an individual vector object that can be edited by its nodes. Be aware that for letters made up of more than one stroke (for example, the P here has one straight vertical stroke and one curved stroke), each stroke will be editable separately. If you’d like to rotate, resize, or otherwise adjust the letter as a whole, be sure to drag your cursor over all strokes in that character to select them all together.

Using a double stroke font is just as easy!  Select the font (in this case, Spicy Sketcher 2), type your text, make sure that the Output is selected as “Curves,” but this time, don’t tick that “Engraving font” box.

And there you go, the text places onto the workspace just as easily, and is converted into vector curves.

But if you want to edit the nodes, be aware!

The double stroke version of a font is actually two strokes on top of each other; a single stroke goes from the start point to the end point (in the case of this W, from the top left point, through the letter, to the top right point), then it turns around and traces the same path back to the start point.  So it’s essentially an outline, but without any space between the lines.

Let’s peel back some of the nodes:

Here I’ve pulled apart the two sides; you can see how that top left point is where the stroke turns around, with one stroke heading toward it, and the other stroke heading away from it.  Each stroke has its own set of nodes, stacked on top of the other stroke’s nodes.

So if you plan on editing by nodes, be sure to grab both in the stack!

How to Access Alternates, Ligatures, and Extended Character Sets

Now, let’s talk about alternate versions of letters, ligatures, and other extras in fonts! Some fonts will have these extras coded in; the example font, Spicy Sketcher, is one of those.

Rhino doesn’t have a built-in character map or glyphs grid that I can find, but it’s easy to copy and paste any alternates, ligatures, and other extras from another source.

Here, I’ll use MainType for PC, but you can use Font Book on a Mac, Character Map on a PC, or any other font manager.

I’ve pulled up Spicy Sketcher 1, and found the double-G ligature that I’d like to use. I’ve clicked on that ligature so it’s selected and colored blue, then I’ve used the Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut to copy that character to my clipboard.

Now let’s zoom in a bit in Rhino, since the text field is really tiny. (Even zoomed in to 225%, this is really small!) Here in the Text Object window, you can use the Ctrl+V keyboard shortcut to paste in that ligature where you’d like it to go.

Once you have all of the basic typed text, alternates, ligatures, and extras in that text box, you can click OK and place it in your workspace.

The double-G ligature came through fine, and is included in the placed text.  Ligatures like this are often included in handwriting style fonts, so that you don’t have the exact same character twice in a row and it looks more naturally hand-written.

How to Use SVG or Other Alphabet Sets

Some fonts will come with an SVG file that contains the full character set of the font, in case you prefer it! Our example font, Spicy Sketcher, now comes with one of those.

Go to File > Import… from the top menu bar in order to import an SVG alphabet set.

You’ll get a navigator window; go to where the SVG file is hanging out, click on it to select it, then click the “Open” button at the bottom right.

This pop-up panel will appear. These are the default settings, and they’re what you’ll want to use. (Though I advise against checking that “Always use these settings” box; you never know when you may want to import something differently in the future!)

Depending on how zoomed-in you are, and what size workboard you’ve selected, you may need to zoom way out to see all of the characters that have loaded in. My workspace is really small, and I’m working in millimeters, so the SVG file loaded in HUGE.

Select the characters you’d like to use, and move them to the side or up above, out of the way of the rest of the characters. Once you have everything set aside that you’d like to use, click and drag a box around all the rest and remove them with the Delete key.

Now you can use the Move, Rotate, Scale, and other editing tools to adjust your sizing and spacing, and your text is ready to go!

If this program has been updated since this test and this guide no longer works, please drop me a line at the contact form so I can update this page!