Kerf
7.5#4 in jewelry design softwareFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitKerf vs Rhino 3D
What both publish
| Fact | Kerf | Rhino 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation | The documentation site contains getting-started, installation, configuration, architecture, file-format, domain, API, SDK, plugin and deployment sections. | McNeel provides online and offline Rhino help, context-sensitive command help, learning materials and a dedicated developer documentation site. |
| Maker | Kerf is part of the Vulos open-source software organization. | Robert McNeel & Associates, also identified as TLM, Inc., is privately held and employee-owned and was founded in 1980. |
| Parametric modeling | Feature operations include pads, pockets, revolves, fillets, chamfers, shells, holes, patterns, sweeps and lofts. | Yes |
| System requirements | Source development requires Python 3.11 or newer and Node 22 or newer. | Rhino 8 supports Windows 10/11 and macOS 12.4 through macOS 27, with at least 8 GB RAM recommended; Linux and Windows Server are unsupported for the desktop app. |
Kerf plans
- FreeFree
- KerfFree
Rhino 3D plans
- Commercial — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$995 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 10 concurrent users$9,950 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 50 concurrent users$49,750 a month
- Commercial upgrade — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$595 a month
- Student or faculty — Rhino 8 single user$195 a month
- Student or faculty upgrade — Rhino 8 single user$95 a month
Pick Kerf if…
Kerf is aimed at mechanical and electronics engineers, BIM architects, jewelry designers, and other engineering users who want local CAD tools. It may suit users comfortable installing software from source or Docker and supplying their own LLM for chat workflows.
Pick Rhino 3D if…
Rhino 3D may suit people seeking desktop tools for parametric modeling, animation, rendering or 3D-print export. Separate listed licenses address commercial users, students or faculty, and schools.