Comparison

iRhino 3D vs Design Materials

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

iRhino 3D

View and present 3D models from Rhino 3D on your iPhone or iPad. Navigate models with intuitive touch gestures, load files from various sources, and visualize them in augmented reality. Includes a markup tool for annotations.

Highlights
  • 3D model viewing
  • Touch navigation (pan, zoom, orbit)
  • Cloud storage integration
  • Augmented Reality (AR) mode
  • Integrated markup tool
Read full description

The official Rhino 3D viewer for iOS. View and present your work on your iPhone or iPad. Pan, zoom, and orbit with a tap or drag of your finger. Conveniently load models from your device or any cloud storage using a built-in file browser. Use the AR mode to see your model in space. Integrated markup tool lets you draw on top of a view.

About

Design Materials

This app serves as an offline reference guide for various design materials, including polymers and metals. It allows users to manage their own material data, view 3D models, and capture objects with their device's camera. Ideal for professionals and hobbyists involved in product design and 3D printing.

Highlights
  • Offline material reference guide
  • Custom material and resin management
  • 3D model viewer and import/export
  • Object capture via device camera
  • Favorites and notes section
  • Cross-device compatibility (iOS, macOS)
Features
Read full description

Design Materials is an offline material reference guide trusted by hundreds of Engineers, Architects and Designers all over the World. The App was created to be a personal tool to help me take design decisions during the concept ideation of industrial products, in particular for 3D printing. Due to high demand, I decided to make it public and share it's information and power. Basically, it provides the fundamentals for most design/engineer materials on the market, based on reliable and curated academic sources. In addition, you can now create and manager your own Material, Resin or Filament data. Finally, the App features Apple Intelligence (AI) with a pair of Entity Masters in material engineering and STEM: HAL 9000 and Elemento, which can be accessed 24/7 while being on or offline (no internet). The guide contains material categories such as polymers, metals, naturals and more. All of these include synthetic, organic, bio-degradable, plastic, and much more subcategories. Each material contains information such as: About, Properties, Tags, Applications, Types and Photos. HAL 9000 & Elemento (AI entities): The legend of HAL is back. Ask anything from space to robotics or biology, HAL and Elemento are Gods of material engineering and science. HAL does precise flawless analysis while Elemento brings fresh human creativity with an attitude. In addition, you can choose the Tone of AI: Formal, Friendly, Direct or Arrogant. Both AI Entities work offline 24/7. Other features includes: • AI Chat with HAL 9000 or Elemento • Material Packs (subscribers) • 3D-model viewer/import/export • Object Capture: Scan Objects • Favorites section • Offline reference (no Internet needed) • Long list of properties per material • Save Notes per material/resin/filament • Create Designs using Apple Pencil • Support for all iPhone screen sizes • Dark Mode • iPadOS support • MacOS support • Continuous Updates with New Content • UNIVERSAL PURCHASE - One Payment for all Devices New Pro version auto-renew subscriptions: - 1 year (Gold) | 3 month (Silver) | 1 month (Bronze) subscriptions* - Access to all material database ABOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period.

 • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal.
 • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.
 • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. 

• Terms of use (EULA): https://www.termsfeed.com/live/faff17b4-8765-4690-b57e-9aabde3d2950

Screenshots

iRhino 3D4 screens
Design Materials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iRhino 3D at none against Design Materials's 3. iRhino 3D also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (55% vs 33%). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Design Materials sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. iRhino 3D asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for iRhino 3D against 4.5 for Design Materials. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iRhino 3D has 80 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of iRhino 3D's written reviews are positive against 33% of Design Materials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iRhino 3D ships an update fortnightly, Design Materials every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
iRhino 3D versus Design Materials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriRhino 3DDesign Materials
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (80 ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews55.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings80 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size296 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRobert McNeel & AssociatesChrystian Enriquez

Customer experience

iRhino 3D

All ratings80 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews322 reviews
Positive55.0%
Neutral13.7%
Negative31.4%

Design Materials

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

iRhino 3D

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes with large or complex files
  • LiDAR measurements significantly inaccurate (off by ~2x)
  • Cannot open local files without cloud storage
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • App crashes during room scanning
Show 10 more
  • Save functionality errors
  • File browser integration issues
  • Google Drive connection errors (App Transport Security)
  • Models rendering in black after updates
  • Crashes on iPad Pro with object scan mode
  • Unable to export scans in desired formats
  • App fails to open on certain device models
  • File thumbnails not displaying
  • Texture UVW mapping not preserved
  • Room scan omits doors and windows as objects

Requested features

20 requests
  • Full native Rhino with Grasshopper support
  • Real editing and modeling tools
  • Wireframe and shaded view options
  • Orthographic views (top, front, right)
  • Texture and material support
Show 15 more
  • Dimension measurement tools
  • iCloud Drive integration
  • Microsoft OneDrive support
  • Gumball transform tool for rotation/scaling
  • Annotation and markup tools
  • Display mode settings
  • Named views panel
  • Zoom select tool
  • Room scan with door/window preservation
  • File thumbnails in library view
  • Background color customization
  • Ability to add rooms to existing scans
  • Support for Rhino 6 and 7 files
  • Stereo 3D view options
  • Video recording of model walkthroughs

Design Materials

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iRhino 3D

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Design Materials

Subscriptions3
  • Bronze member$7.991 Month
  • Silver member$17.993 Months
  • Gold member$49.991 Year

Questions

Is iRhino 3D free?
iRhino 3D is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Design Materials free?
Design Materials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iRhino 3D or Design Materials?
iRhino 3D is rated higher. iRhino 3D averages 4.6 out of 5 from 80 ratings, while Design Materials averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do iRhino 3D or Design Materials have ads?
Neither iRhino 3D nor Design Materials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iRhino 3D or Design Materials?
iRhino 3D ships an update fortnightly, and Design Materials every 3 months. Most recently, iRhino 3D was updated on September 20, 2026 and Design Materials on July 23, 2026.

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