Plans and Sections Using Clipping Planes

This tutorial explains how to:

Use clipping planes to cut architectural plans and sections

Generate clean 2D linework using Make2D

Work with Named Views for consistency and efficiency

Export your drawings to Illustrator at a precise scale

Set Up a Clipping Plane

In any viewport (Top, Front, Right, or Perspective), type ClippingPlane and press Enter

Click and drag to place the plane into the model

Use the Gumball to move or rotate the clipping plane to the correct cut location

Open the Properties panel and click the Clipping Plane icon (a box with a slice through it)

Choose which viewports are affected by checking or unchecking them

You can use multiple clipping planes and toggle them on/off per view

Switch to Parallel Projection

Select the viewport you want to export from

Right-click the viewport name and choose Set View > Parallel

This ensures the 2D output is orthographic (not in perspective)

Orthographic: Shows objects without distortion—lines stay parallel, no depth. Used for plans, elevations, and technical drawings.

Perspective: Mimics human vision—lines converge to vanishing points, creating depth. Used for realistic views and spatial understanding.

Save a Named View

Using Named Views ensures your view is consistent for future exports or revisions.

With the viewport positioned and the clipping plane active, type NamedView

In the Named Views panel, click Save As and give your view a descriptive name (e.g. "South Section 01" or "Main Plan View")

To return to this exact view later, just double-click the saved view name

Tip: Named Views store the camera position and projection type, but not layer visibility. If you want to preserve visibility settings too, use Snapshots or save separate Rhino files for each drawing setup.

Generate 2D Linework with Make2D

Select the geometry you want to include in the drawing

Type Make2D and press Enter

In the Make2D dialog, set the following options:

View Settings

Current View – Uses the current viewport camera

Named View – Lets you choose a saved view (recommended for consistency)

Layer and Group Options

Maintain source layers – Keeps output geometry on original layers (recommended)

Group output – Groups each object's linework for easier organization

Line Options

Create hidden lines – Adds dashed lines for occluded geometry

Create silhouette edges – Adds bold outlines where objects meet space

Tangent edges:

Smooth – Adds soft transitions between curved surfaces

All – Shows all tangents (can be messy)

None – Omits tangents (cleanest)

The output will appear at or near the world origin (0,0,0). Use SelLast or Zoom Selected to find it.

Export to Illustrator (.ai) at Scale

Once the 2D drawing is ready, follow these steps to export it properly scaled:

Export Steps

Select the 2D linework

Type Export or go to File > Export Selected

Choose Adobe Illustrator (.ai) as the file type

Click Options before saving

In the Export Options Dialog

Set Destination Units to match your layout workflow (e.g. Inches, Millimeters)

Check Preserve model scale

Input your desired Scale Factor:

For 1/8" = 1'-0" (1:96):

If your Rhino model is in feet, use 1:96

If your model is in inches, use 1:12

For metric:

For 1:100, set 1:100

Click OK and finish exporting

Last updated by Abigail Green - May 2025

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