Rhinoceros started as a application to run within AutoCAD using AGLib from Applied Geometry. Alias was the largest user of AGLib. The following are the excerpts from the Rhino Wiki site.

• May 92 - First meeting with AG. Applied Geometry (AG) came to Mcneel for assistance in integrating their AGLib, NURBs geometry library, in AutoCAD. AG customers included Alias Research, Spatial, Honda, and Tecnomatix
• Jul 92 - First prototype in AutoCAD after about 3 days of work.
• Nov 92 - McNeel/AG agreement to develop AccuModel, NURBs modeling for AutoCAD. McNeel would do the marketing and AG would do all the development. McNeel would provide AutoCAD development support as needed.
• Nov 92 - Michael Gibson hired as an intern. He brought Sculptura, a mesh modeler that he had done as a class project.
• Mar 93 - Sculptura released.
• Mar 93 - McNeel takes over as the lead on the AccuModel development.
• Jul 93 - First prototype of Sculptura 2 ready for NURBs.
• Nov 93 - Sculptura 2 nicknamed RhinoCeros.
• Jan 94 - New McNeel/AG agreement where McNeel was licensing AGLib from AG and AG would provide the needed AGLib enhancements and maintenace.
• Apr 94 - Rhino beta released on the Graphic Alternative BBS. This was our first version of a public beta program.
• May 94 - Dr Dale Lear hired from AG. We had found that we needed geometry expertise in house in order to develop the functionality and usability needed by our clients.
• May 94 - Alias Research agrees to purchase AG. Alias was AGs largest customer and they felt that one of their advantages was the geometry technology.
• May 94 - First commercial products completed using AccuModel. Ed Monk & Son Navel Architect released an 82 foot sports fishing boat.
• Jul 94 - Geometry development begins in earnest. Alias didnt seem to be interested in the geometry library business.
• Aug 94 - Sculptura renamed RhinoCeros after it was determined that Mcneel would not be able to reslove the trademark problems with AccuModel.
• Aug 94 - Private showing of Rhino at SIGGRAPH.
• Nov 94 - Sale of AG to Alias final.
• Mar 95 - McNeel provides Alias with first installment of geometry technology.
• Jun 95 - Alias purchased by Silicon Graphics.
• Jun 95 - McNeel receives the last update of AGLib.
• May 97 - Last build of AccuModel for AutoCAD. As the Rhino product progressed we decided that it would be better to focus on the Windows version.
• Sep 97 - 50,000 beta sites and growing fast without any promotional effort on our part.
• Jul 98 - 100,000 beta sites.
• Jul 98 - Announced Oct release at SIGGRAPH.
• Oct 98 - Release Rhino version 1.0.
• Dec 98 - First 5,000 shipped.
• Jan 99 - Japanese version released.
• Jan 99 - First public beta of 1.1 released.
• Jan 99 - First European reseller meeting in Barcelona.
• Mar 99 - First third party book on Rhino published.
• May 99 - Korean version ships.
• Aug 00 - First public beta of 2.0 and Flamingo released.
• Sep 01 - Shipping Rhino 2.0.
• Nov 01 - Shipping Flamingo.
• Nov 01 - Inside RhinoCeros published
• Jan 03 - Shipping Rhino 3.0
• Jan 03 - Shipping Flamingo 1.1
• Jul 03 - Shipping Penguin 1.0
• Jul 04 - Shipping Bongo 1.0
• Jan 07 - Shipping Rhino 4.0
• Jan 08 - Shipping Penguin 2.0
• Jul 08 - Shipping Flamingo 2.0
• Feb 09 - Shipping Brazil for Rhino

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