New plugin CompositeWorks - Composite Design Made Easier in Rhino

Introducing CompositeWorks: Composite Design Made Easier in Rhino

Designing composite structures involves more than creating geometry. Engineers also need to define laminate schedules, calculate material quantities, manage weight and produce clear instructions for builders.

CompositeWorks brings these tasks together inside Rhino, providing an intuitive, visual workflow for designing complex composite parts.

From geometry to laminate design

The CompositeWorks workflow is straightforward:

1. Model the basic geometry using Rhino surfaces.

2. Define your composite materials and layer structure.

3. Create reusable laminate stacks.

4. Assign the stacks to the appropriate surfaces.

5. Let CompositeWorks calculate and document the structure.

By connecting laminate information directly to the Rhino model, CompositeWorks reduces the need to manage separate drawings, spreadsheets and weight calculations.

Calculate quantities, weight and centre of gravity

CompositeWorks automatically extracts material quantities from the model and laminate definitions. It can calculate individual part weights, complex assembly weights and centre-of-gravity information.

This allows engineers to compare laminate options, monitor weight targets and identify potential issues earlier in the design process.

Create clearer construction drawings

CompositeWorks also supports single-click construction drawing creation. These drawings help communicate laminate regions and layup sequences to builders directly from Rhino, creating a clearer path between design and production.

The plugin is suitable for marine, aerospace, architecture and product-design applications involving fibreglass, carbon fibre and other FRP materials.

Getting started

CompositeWorks is currently designed for Rhino 8 on Windows and requires Rhino’s .NET Core runtime. It can be installed through Rhino’s Package Manager by searching for CompositeWorks.

Once installed, enter LaminateDesigner in the Rhino command line to begin.

Reports are currently produced in metric units. Imperial Rhino models are supported, with values automatically converted to metric for reporting.

CompositeWorks offers a more connected way to design, calculate and communicate composite structures—all within Rhino.

Learn more and access the trial on food4Rhino...