Due to some requests I started learning a new 3D modeling tool. I was told that for architecture and more direct design related modeling, the best tool was, after all, Rhinoceros 3D. (official site: http://www.rhino3d.com/ )

Always curious to know more about such presumptions, I got myself the evaluation copy and started with the official online available tutorials. Very nicely written, you'll rapidly understand the logic of the software and it has never been that easy to get first modeling results. The clean UI and the clever tools will immediately charm everybody who's been wishing for fast, precise and CAD-near drawing.

Old-style but powerful: the command line. It allows to go fast on precision, and to get a fast overview of the available tools and their options, which later is useful to create your own scripts with RhinoScript, an API oriented scripting language.

Ok, it's not a BIM capable software, but honestly: who cares? I'm pretty sure the clean models are easily imported into Archicad or Revit, and that Rhino is a great backup to design the models for a parametric library.

I know some people that are extensively using Rhinoceros to script their designs and create very powerful computational processes with this software. I'll get to this a little later, as for the moment I'm still checking the basic tutorials.

Rendering, especially with the official plug-ins should do a great job, even if it's not Cinema4D or 3DS. I'm not a fan of photorealistic rendering in the first place so this doesn't bother me at all. Rhinoceros, as I see it, is the best 3D modeling tool for architects and industrial designers for no other software gets you that precise, fast and scriptable results. It's like Sketchup for serious people.

Now, to emphasize the international group of geeky architects, there should be more community, open source scripts, and this piece of programming will become a major star in the 3D sky.