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If you work in naval architecture, marine engineering, or yacht design, you already know that Rhino 3D is one of the most capable surface modelling tools available. But Rhino's real power in the marine sector comes from its plug-in ecosystem — and Nemo sits at the top of that list. This guide walks through what Nemo does, who it's for, and how to decide whether it belongs in your workflow.

What Is Nemo?

Nemo is a Rhino plug-in developed specifically for naval architects and marine designers. It extends Rhino's core NURBS modelling environment with a suite of hydrostatics, stability analysis, and hull form tools that would otherwise require a separate, expensive specialist application. In short, it lets you design and analyse a hull in the same environment — without exporting to a third-party package every time you need to check displacement or metacentric height.

The plug-in integrates directly into the Rhino interface, adding dedicated panels and commands for marine-specific calculations. If you're already comfortable with Rhino, the learning curve for Nemo is relatively shallow — you're extending a familiar environment rather than learning a new one from scratch.

Core Features Worth Knowing

Nemo covers the key calculations that naval architects need at the early and mid-design stages:

• Hydrostatics: Displacement, centre of buoyancy, waterplane area, block coefficient, and related parameters — calculated directly from your Rhino hull surface.
• Stability analysis: GZ curves, metacentric height, and static stability assessment to IMO or classification society standards.
• Hull form tools: Fairing assistance, section generation, and offsets tables — useful for both design development and production documentation.
• Resistance estimation: Preliminary resistance and powering estimates based on established empirical methods, useful for early feasibility work.
• Compartment modelling: Tank and compartment definitions for loading condition analysis.

For a small studio or independent naval architect, this breadth of functionality — integrated into Rhino — represents significant value compared to maintaining a separate stability software licence alongside your CAD tools.

Who Is Nemo For?

Nemo is best suited to:

• Independent naval architects and small studios who need hydrostatics and stability capability without the overhead of enterprise-grade ship design software.
• Yacht designers working on sailing and motor yachts where hull form development and early stability checks are part of the design process.
• Marine engineering consultancies that use Rhino for detailed design and want to keep analysis in the same environment.
• Academic and research teams working on hull form optimisation or experimental vessel design.

It is less suited to large shipyard environments where dedicated naval architecture suites (NAPA, Maxsurf, ShipConstructor) are already embedded in the workflow and integrated with classification society submission processes. For those contexts, Nemo can still be useful as a quick-check tool, but it won't replace a full ship design platform.

Nemo vs Standalone Naval Architecture Software

The honest comparison here is between Nemo-within-Rhino and a standalone package like Maxsurf or NAPA. Here's how to think about it:

• Cost: Nemo is significantly less expensive than enterprise naval architecture software. If you're already paying for a Rhino licence, adding Nemo is a fraction of the cost of a full Maxsurf suite.
• Integration: Because Nemo works inside Rhino, there's no file translation step between hull modelling and hydrostatics. Changes to the hull surface are reflected immediately in your calculations.
• Depth of analysis: For complex vessels, large ships, or projects requiring classification society submission, a dedicated platform will offer more rigorous tools and better documentation outputs. Nemo is strong at early-stage and mid-stage design; it's not a replacement for full stability booklet production on a commercial vessel.
• Workflow fit: If your primary tool is Rhino and you need marine analysis capability, Nemo is the natural choice. If your primary tool is already a naval architecture package, adding Nemo is less compelling.

Licensing Options

Nemo is available as a standalone licence or as part of a broader Rhino plug-in bundle. Like most Rhino plug-ins, it uses the same Rhino licensing infrastructure — so if you're already managing Rhino licences for your team, adding Nemo follows the same process.

For studios with multiple seats, it's worth considering whether a floating licence arrangement makes sense. A Cloud Zoo team setup allows a pool of Nemo licences to be shared across a team, which can be more cost-effective than individual node-locked licences if not everyone needs simultaneous access.

Academic licences are also available at reduced cost for university departments and research groups — and unlike some software vendors, Rhino ecosystem licences (including plug-ins) can be used for commercial work even on an academic licence, making them a practical choice for university spin-outs and research consultancies.

Getting Started: What You Need

To run Nemo, you need:

• A current Rhino 7 or Rhino 8 licence (Nemo is not compatible with Rhino 6 or earlier)
• Windows OS — Nemo does not currently support macOS
• A Nemo plug-in licence, available as a standalone purchase

Installation is straightforward via the Rhino Package Manager. Once installed, Nemo's commands and panels appear within the standard Rhino interface.

Is Nemo Right for Your Practice?

If you're a naval architect or marine designer already working in Rhino, Nemo is one of the most cost-effective ways to add hydrostatics and stability capability to your existing workflow. It won't replace a full naval architecture suite for complex commercial projects, but for yacht design, small craft, and early-stage feasibility work, it covers the essential ground without requiring you to maintain a second software environment.

The key question is whether your work sits in the design-and-analysis phase (where Nemo excels) or in the regulatory submission and production documentation phase (where a dedicated platform may be necessary). For many independent practitioners and small studios, the answer is that Nemo handles the majority of what they actually need day to day.

Buy Nemo from CADWAX

CADWAX supplies Rhino 3D and the wider Rhino plug-in ecosystem to customers across the UK. We supply Nemo licences to naval architects, marine designers, and engineering consultancies across the UK and internationally. Whether you need a single seat or a multi-user floating arrangement, we can advise on the right licence configuration for your team.

Related Reading

• Rhino 3D Plugins for Naval Architects and Marine Designers
• Specialist Plugins for Rhino 3D

Learn more about Nemo for Rhino 3D.