Installation Guide for Rhino.Ecologic®

System requirements

• Processor: A 64-bit Intel or AMD processor
• RAM: 8 GB minimum; 16 GB or more recommended for larger models and smoother performance
• Operating system: Windows 11 or Windows 10
• Graphics card: OpenGL 4.1-capable video card with 4 GB of video RAM
• Storage: 600 MB
• Rhino version: Rhino 8 or later — rhino3d.com/download
• Grasshopper: pre-installed with Rhino
• .NET: Rhino 8 runtime (installed together with Rhino)
• Internet: required for license activation and updates

Step 1: Download and install the plugin

1. Create a free Rhino.Ecologic account here: rhinoecologic.kinsta.cloud/create-rhino-eclogic-account
2. Once registered, install Rhino.Ecologic using either of the following methods:
   • Option A — Rhino Package Manager (recommended): In Rhino, type _PackageManager into the command line to open the Rhino Package Manager, search for Rhino.Ecologic, and click Install.
   • Option B — Manual install: Download the latest package and drag and drop it into the Rhino window. Rhino.Ecologic (beta) will install automatically.
3. Open the Package Manager (_PackageManager) and confirm that Rhino.Ecologic is listed and properly installed.

Restart Rhino and Grasshopper to complete the installation. The installation files are placed in the following directory:

Step 2: Activate the toolbar

Launch Grasshopper. A new tab called “Rhino.Ecologic®” will appear in the Grasshopper ribbon.

Step 3: Verify the installation

To check that everything works, drag one Rhino.Ecologic Grasshopper component (e.g., Run Ecological Analysis) onto the Grasshopper canvas. Test basic connectivity with the example model provided in the example files.

Troubleshooting

Most installation issues fall into one of four areas: the plugin not loading, the .NET runtime Rhino is using, missing native dependencies, or files blocked by Windows.

Plugin or toolbar does not load

.NET runtime (Rhino 8)

Rhino 8 can start in two runtime modes, and Rhino.Ecologic runs only in .NET Core (the default in Rhino 8). If the plugin fails to load, the most common cause is that Rhino started in .NET Framework 4.8 (/netfx) mode instead.

• Check the current runtime: run SystemInfo and read the .NET line.
• Switch to .NET Core: run SetDotNetRuntime, choose NETCore, and restart Rhino.
• Force it at launch: start Rhino with the /netcore flag (a launch flag overrides the SetDotNetRuntime setting).

Missing native dependencies (DLL NOT FOUND)

Rhino.Ecologic uses native libraries — BiophiliaAPI.dll and plants.dll — alongside its .gha. A DLL NOT FOUND / Unable to load DLL message means one could not be loaded. Reinstalling through the Package Manager is the most reliable fix. Also confirm the DLLs are unblocked, that the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) is installed, and that the architecture matches (Rhino 8 is 64-bit). If it persists, run Rhino as Administrator once, temporarily disable antivirus, and check the Windows Event Viewer for the specific failure.

Blocked or network-location files

Windows blocks files downloaded from the internet, and .NET restricts loading assemblies from network drives (often error HRESULT: 0x80131515).

• Unblock each .gha and DLL (right-click → Properties → Unblock). To unblock a whole folder in PowerShell: Get-ChildItem -Path "<folder>" -Recurse | Unblock-File.
• Install on a local drive rather than a mapped network share or cloud-synced folder.

Diagnosing further

If none of the above helps, press F2 in Rhino to review the plugin-load report, hover the failing component’s warning/error bubble for the exact exception text, and check the Windows Event Viewer (Windows Logs → Application) for .NET Runtime entries. When contacting support, include your Rhino version and runtime (SystemInfo), the plugin version, the exact error text, and — where possible — a minimal file that reproduces the problem.

Example files

Example files are available directly in the Grasshopper plugin. In the Grasshopper menu, right-click Rhino.Ecologic to open the dropdown menu, which contains Tutorial, Examples, Snippets, and a link to the full documentation. Select Examples to open the provided files, including:

• Example Rhino files (.3dm)
• Example Grasshopper definitions (.gh)

Help and feedback

If you encounter any issues or have questions, feel free to reach out. Please share your feedback, bug reports, or feature requests using this short form: Submit Feedback.