UrbanDesign4Rhino¶

Urban-scale design tools — OpenStreetMap data import, terrain operations, road generation, 3D building extrusion, and land-use colour management.

OSM Import & Coordinates¶

knOSMImport¶

The primary tool for bringing OpenStreetMap data into Rhino. It reads .osm files and automatically sorts geometry into organized layers based on their tags (buildings, roads, waterways, etc.).

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Browse and select an .osm file
	Output	2D curve geometry categorized onto structured layers with metadata attached

knOSMtransformtorigin¶

Large-scale datasets often have very high coordinates which cause precision issues in Rhino's display (shaking/jitter). This command moves the entire dataset to the document origin while storing the translation vector.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	None; operates on all imported OSM geometry
	Output	Moves geometry to (0,0,0); stores offset metadata for future georeferencing

knOSMtransformtoworld¶

The reverse of the origin transform. Moves geometry back to its original real-world coordinate system, necessary for exporting back to GIS or BIM software.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	None
	Output	Restores dataset to geographic coordinates using previously saved offset

Terrain & Projection¶

knDropObjectstoTerrain¶

Quickly vertically aligns 2D or 3D objects to a terrain surface. Essential for placing building footprints or street furniture onto a site model.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select objects to drop; select target mesh/surface terrain
	Output	Objects moved vertically to touch the terrain surface

knProjectSrftoTerrain¶

Drapes planar surfaces (like landscape zones or site plots) onto complex topography. Unlike standard projection, this preserves face continuity better for urban surfaces.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select planar surfaces; select target mesh terrain
	Output	Projected geometry conforming to topographic heights

Roads & Site¶

knDrawRoad¶

An interactive road drawing tool. As you pick points, it creates a road profile that is dynamically projected onto the ground surface.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Specify road width; pick path points
	Output	3D surface geometry representing the road lane

knRoadfromCrv¶

Generates 3D road surfaces using existing curves as centerlines. This is perfect for converting imported OSM road networks into 3D massing.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select centerline curves; enter lane width
	Output	3D road surfaces with optional curb geometry

Buildings & Data¶

knOSM3d¶

Bulk extrusion of building footprints into 3D masses. It prioritizes building:levels and height tags from the OSM metadata to generate accurate city blocks.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select building footprint curves (preselection supported)
	Output	Closed polysurface massing on 3D building layers

knMassFloorArea¶

Calculates the Gross Floor Area (GFA) for selected 3D masses. It multiplies footprint area by the number of levels found in the object's metadata.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select building masses
	Output	Prints total GFA to command line; copies result to clipboard

knCreateColorsforUses¶

Automates the aesthetic classification of the urban model. It assigns color palettes to layers based on standard land-use categories (Residential = Yellow, Commercial = Red, etc.).

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	None
	Output	Layer colors updated across the document

knShowPrograms¶

Launches a modeless dashboard for managing urban programmatic data. Allows for real-time visualization of land-use splits.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	None
	Output	Dashboard interface for urban statistics

Data Validation¶

knCrossCheckAreas¶

Compares the geometric area of Rhino objects against the stored "area" attribute from the source dataset. Highlights discrepancies where the model geometry might be corrupted or outdated.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select objects to validate
	Output	Reports delta between geometric and attribute areas

knCurveBooleanUnion¶

A robust boolean union tool specifically for overlapping footprint curves. It is "tougher" than standard Rhino commands, handling the intersections and overlaps often found in raw OSM datasets.

Icon	Property	Detail
	Input	Select multiple overlapping curves
	Output	Single merged boundary curve

Layer Reference¶