Create stunning photorealistic images and videos from any CAD system, real life photo, or even a quick napkin sketch.
IMAGE RENDERS COMPLETE IN 60 SECONDS.
Dolphin is a research-oriented plug-in for the Rhino and Grasshopper environment that works with semantic building information and AGraphML. It helps architects translate floor-plan drawings into spatial graphs: room outlines can be associated with names and types, while connections such as doors, passages, walls, windows, and entrances describe relationships between spaces. Its components support creating and reading graph data, examining nodes and edges, filtering information, and using the resulting data in a parametric design study. Dolphin is for understanding or exploring a plan's spatial structure, not for producing a photorealistic image.
Dolphin for Rhino and Grasshopper is built around semantic floor-plan data rather than rendering. A useful Dolphin view may show room polylines, labels, building boundaries, and colored connection lines that encode a plan's accessibility and adjacency. That information can guide an early architectural option study, but it is not a material, lighting, or camera specification. RENDERCAD fits after the architect has selected a credible Rhino massing, plan-derived model, or Grasshopper design view and needs a clearer presentation image. Start with a clean viewport or export that communicates the intended geometry and viewpoint, then use RENDERCAD to explore polished architectural visuals for a design review, concept board, client presentation, or portfolio. Keep Dolphin and the Rhino model as the source of truth for room data, relationships, and editable geometry; a generated render should be treated as visual communication, not as evidence that the semantic analysis has changed.
Dolphin does not compete with a ray tracer or a conventional visualization package. Its strength is converting spatial configurations from Rhino drawings into AGraphML graph structures and making that information usable in Grasshopper. Room names can be mapped through a room dictionary, and the graph can describe connections between rooms or buildings. This is valuable when the design question concerns program, adjacency, circulation, or the structure of a floor plan. Dolphin's analysis and diagram views can help a team compare options before committing to a more developed architectural scene.
RENDERCAD addresses a separate, downstream communication task. Once a Dolphin-informed option has been modeled or represented in Rhino, frame a focused viewport that shows the selected massing, facade, interior, or architectural perspective. Avoid using a dense graph diagram as the primary render input when the goal is realism: the most useful input is the actual design view, with readable forms and a deliberate camera angle. RENDERCAD can turn that visual starting point into an atmospheric concept image or presentation visual without replacing the parametric definition. Use the original Rhino and Grasshopper files to revise plan logic, dimensions, room labels, and topology; use the generated image to discuss visual direction, material character, lighting, and the intended experience of the proposed design.
Screenshot the CAD viewport you already have, render in the browser, and download a client-ready still or video without exports, plugins, or GPU setup.
Modeled by CADSharp in Onshape. Rendered with RENDERCAD.
Add | Change | or Remove referenced objects with the stroke of a brush.
RENDERCAD uses a maintained selection of image-generation models for different rendering tasks. Results can vary by model and input, so compare generated output with the source design before relying on geometry, materials, or dimensions.
| Feature | RENDERCAD | Dolphin (Rhino) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Generative AI | Semantic BIM / graph analysis |
| Output | Images + Video | Varies by tool |
| Resolution | HD / 4K | Varies |
| Image Speed | Image renders complete in 60 seconds. | Not a renderer |
| Video Speed | Videos complete in 2-5 minutes. | Varies by workflow |
| Scene Set Up | No separate local scene | Varies by workflow |
| Input | Screen Snip | Varies by tool |
| Materials | 2,600+ Textures | Library varies |
| Backgrounds | 1300+ Backgrounds | Tool-dependent |
| Conditions | 40+ Effects | Tool-dependent |
| References | Up to 6 Per Render | Varies |
| Hardware | Cloud (None Required) | Rhino / Grasshopper |
| Install | None | Varies (web or app) |
| Cost | from $9/mo | Research plug-in with downloads listed by its project page |
Side by side, feature by feature. See how RENDERCAD's AI approach compares with Dolphin (Rhino)'s rendering workflow.
Skip a separate local scene build. Pick a condition, material, and background while RENDERCAD handles the image-generation step. Image renders complete in 60 seconds.
™
RENDERCAD™
Use the browser workflow directly, capture a selected view with the desktop app, or start from the browser extension.
Get StartedCommon questions about RENDERCAD vs Dolphin (Rhino)
The Seamless Loop option is designed to improve continuity between the end and beginning of a generated video. Inspect the transition before publishing because generative motion and loop quality can vary by image and model.
RENDERCAD's Create Video workflow generates a video from a single image and provides Camera and Product Motion controls. Videos complete in 2-5 minutes.
RENDERCAD image renders complete in 60 seconds. Competing renderer speed depends on scene complexity, render settings, hardware, queue time, and final output quality.
Usually. Generation runs in the cloud, so it does not occupy a local renderer. Keep the relevant browser workflow available as required, and expect normal network and browser resource use while the job is submitted and results are loaded.
RENDERCAD starts from a supported 2D image such as a CAD viewport capture, product photo, or drawing. You do not need to import the native 3D scene, but you may need to capture or export a clear image from the source application first.
RENDERCAD avoids much of the scene, shader, and local-renderer setup used by traditional rendering tools. Users still need to prepare a useful source image, choose suitable options, describe the intended result, and review generated details.
Yes. A clear viewport capture can become a more polished visual for a design review. Image renders complete in 60 seconds, making it practical to prepare or iterate presentation options.
RENDERCAD is designed to create more polished, realistic-looking presentation images from a source view. Results vary by input and settings, and generated images should be checked against the original model before they are used to communicate exact design details.
Upload a clear view, describe the brushed-aluminum finish you want, and add a material reference when the visual direction matters. Because the result is generated from an image, inspect the grain direction and surface details against your original design before using it in a final presentation.
Describe the wood species and finish you want, and provide a reference image when scale or grain direction matters. RENDERCAD can generate a wood-like visual treatment, but it does not replace model-level texture mapping or guarantee an exact, repeatable grain pattern.
Start with a clear source view, choose a simple background, and describe the studio look you want. RENDERCAD can generate a presentation image without requiring you to build a traditional light rig, but the lighting is image-based and should be reviewed rather than treated as a physically measured setup.
Yes. Request a golden-hour look and describe the mood or direction you want. The generated warmth, shadows, and light direction can vary between results, so compare important design details with the source image.
Trusted by Architects, Product Designers, and Engineering Teams