SummaryThis FAQ page is set up to share common questions and answers about Flamingo. Please add questions (and answers if you have them) that you think would be useful for others. This is a Wiki page. See About the Wiki information on adding content.

Flamingo Home Page

Where is the Flamingo product home page?

Flamingo product home page

Installing Flamingo

I upgraded to Rhino 3 from Rhino 2. My Flamingo 1.0 CD doesn't work. How do I get Flamingo running in Rhino V3?

You need Flamingo 1.1 for Rhino 3.0 If you browse your Rhino 3.0 installation CD you will find the Flamingo 1.1 installer in the Flamingo folder. You will use your original Flamingo 1.0 CD-key to install it. Flamingo 1.1 is exactly the same as Flamingo 1.0 and it's free for Flamingo 1.0 owners. Don't forget to check for service releases for your Flamingo from www.flamingo3d.com/download.htm

I upgraded to Rhino 4. My Flamingo 1.1 CD doesn't work. How do I get Flamingo running in Rhino 4?

Install Flamingo from the red Rhino 4.0 CD2 in the Rhino 4.0 DVD case, or from the a Flamingo 1.1 SR6 or newer CD.

ExceptionIf your red Rhino CD2 has RH40PRT-CD2 0107 or RH40PRT-CD2 0207 printed on the rim, the Flamingo 1.1 installer requires that you have Flamingo 1.0 (for Rhino 2) or 1.1 (for Rhino 3) installed. If you have that initial version of the red CD2, and no old Flamingo installed, you will need to request an updated red CD2 from McNeel Tech Support - tech@mcneel.com

I get an error and the Flamingo 2.0 install never completes

See this page for instructions on how to generate a logfile of the error and get Technical Support involved.

Does the Flamingo 2.0 installer support automated installations?

Three methods for automating the Flamingo 2.0 install process

Does the Flamingo 1.1 installer support scripted installations?

Detailed description of automated deployment options

Does the Flamingo 2 installer preserve my Flamingo 1.1 settings?

Description of settings and library migration; destinations for files; integration with Rhino, etc.

Where is the Flamingo 2.0 Beta?

Flamingo 2.0 is now released All the Betas have expired. To purchase: http://www.flamingo3d.com/purchase.htm

I am using Vista and now the Flamingo 1.1 Help doesn't work.

Vista does not support old style WinHelp (.hlp), the format used for Flamingo 1.1.

You can download a fix from Microsoft

Flamingo Tutorials

Flamingo Tutorials at www.rhino3d.tv - Free!

Go to Year = 2005, Month = January, to find the training videos.

Jewelry Rendering techniques - Free!

If you are looking for help on getting realistic looking gemstones and polished gold, this tutorial is for you.

Advanced training CD: Studio Quality Rendering by Gijs de Zwart
Understanding Lighting - Free!

Managing Flamingo Material Libraries

Where are Flamingo 1.1 material and plant libraries installed?

C:\Program Files\Rhinoceros 3.0\Plug-ins\Flamingo\English\Libraries

Where are Flamingo 2.0 WIP/Beta libraries installed?

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\English\Libraries

NoteYou will need to allow the display of "hidden files and folders" to see the "Application Data" folder. To allow this, start the Windows Explorer - Tools - Folder options - View tab, change the control in Advanced settings.

How can I use my Flamingo 1.1 custom materials in Flamingo 2?

From Gordon Adams (gordon@mcneel.com) Use the tool in the Flamingo 2 program group to switch to using Flamingo 1. Then figure out the names of the libraries that have your custom materials in them. Look for those libraries by searching for the material libraries (you can search your whole hard disk for *.mlib), then copy those files into the Flamingo 2.0 Resources folder (pointed to by the Base Folder button in FlamingoOptions). Switch back to Flamingo 2.0 and those libraries should be on your list.

How should I manage custom material definitions?

Managing custom Flamingo materials

Can I use a jump drive or removable disk for my material libraries?

How to use Flamingo 1.1 material libraries on removable media

Flamingo users frequently ask how to keep their libraries on a removable disk. Often students are looking for a way to avoid losing the library in a machine reset or “Deep Freeze’ restoration. Sometimes leaving the library on the hard drive may mean another user could alter it. Here is a way to keep user libraries on a removable and writable Flash or network drive. This will not work for Flamingo 2.

How does Flamingo 2 search for and find material and plant libraries?

Flamingo 2.0 installs material and plant libraries in a specific location that is accessible by all users, and changeable by all users. The default libraries that are listed in the Materials tab of Flamingo's browser come from are stored in

Windows Vista - C:\ProgramData\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<language>\<libraryfolder>
Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<language>\<libraryfolder>

When Flamingo 2.0 starts, it reads the libraries to list here:

System registry - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<localeID> valuename=Libraries

If you move your libraries to a different location, you need to add that new location to the "Library locations (show in browsers)" list found in Tools > Options > Flamingo (Rhino options not Document properties) dialog.

The BaseFolder setting at the top of that dialog is used to search for bitmaps, etc. In the default install, Base Folder is pointing to:

Windows Vista - C:\ProgramData\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Resources
Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Resources
System registry - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Paths valuename=Support

Three more clues: Library search goes one level deep, Support search is recursive, and hidden libraries may be used.

MLIB files in Library search folders are listed on the Materials tab of Flamingo's browser
MLIB files in folders in and below Support search folders are not listed in Materials tab of Flamingo's browser, but are searched for missing material definitions. This is how a German .3DM will render using standard German materials even when only English material libraries are showing in the Materials tab of Flamingo's browser.

How are Flamingo material assignments handled in Block instances?

Flamingo materials can be assigned by layer or directly to objects.

If the block's materials are assigned by object, and block materials are defined in the computer where the block is inserted, then they render properly.
If the block's materials are assigned by layer, and the layer name is different than any other layer in the target file, then they will render properly.
If the block's materials are assigned by layer, and the layer name conflicts with another layer in the target file, then the block will render using the current file's material assignments, usually default white. The layer definition in the target file is not overwritten or changed by the block insertion.