Adobe Illustrator (.ai) Export

Exports or saves to Adobe Illustrator (.ai) format.

To save as or export a Rhino model

On the File menu, click Export Selected or Save As.
In the dialog box, the Files of type list displays the currently supported file types for export.
In the Files of type box, select the supported file type.
In the File name box, select or type a file name.
Specify what is to be saved.

Options
Save small	Though clearing the render meshes makes the file smaller, it will shade and render more slowly the next time you open the file.
Save geometry only	Saves geometry objects only. No layers, materials, properties, notes, or units settings are saved. This is similar to exporting the objects. A new file is made, but it does not become your active Rhino model.
Save textures	Embeds external textures used by materials, environments and decals into the model.

If the export can be configured, click the Options button to specify export settings.
If the file type creates only mesh objects, in the Polygon Mesh Objects dialog box, specify the mesh settings.

AI Export Options

Scale

You cannot preserve the scale and units from a perspective viewport.

Snapshot of current view

Rhino exports the curves as a 2-D snapshot from the active viewport.

Preserve model scale

Sets the scale factor and units you want to use.

Color

RGB

Red, Green, Blue color system.

CMYK

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black color system.

Options

Export viewport boundary

Exports a rectangle that corresponds to the current viewport boundary. It is useful for registering curves to renderings or screen captures taken in the same view.

Hatches exported as solid fills

If checked, hatches export to as solid fills.

If unchecked, hatches export as lines.

Always use these settings. Do not show this dialog again.

Saves the current settings and turns off the dialog display.

To turn the message back on

Click the Options button in the appropriate Save, Export, Open, Import, or Insert dialog box.

See also: ResetMessageBoxes command.

Note

Before exporting, position the objects in the active viewport the way you want them to fit the page in the illustration program.
Rhino exports text and dimensions to AI files.
Rhino exports NURBS geometry and polygon meshes as wireframe curves.
Curves have fewer control points than the original because the Adobe Illustrator file format only supports non-rational cubic Bézier curves. Rational curves or curves higher than degree 3 are approximated with a cubic Bézier.
If you draw curves using the free-form curve tools degree 3 or lower and export them from the top view, they won't get refit and will look exactly the same in Adobe Illustrator.
Hatches export into AI as closed paths with standard solid fills.

See also

Wikipedia: Adobe Illustrator Artwork

Rhino for Mac © 2010-2017 Robert McNeel & Associates. 24-Oct-2017