Rhino 3D Tips, Questions and Answers

Z

Zathros

At this point, if someone wants to get some help with Rhino, read through this tutorial. Once completed, there is a great possibility of moving forward, but I would have to see participation to do such.

Each question MUST be posted with a screen grab of where the error taking place to facilitate a proper response, if one is possible (an answer). Questions about the tutorial itself are welcomed, but must still be posted with a picture showing where the error took place. No picture,no answer!! :)
 
N

niebla de fuego

I have never designed anything with 3-D software. Now after reading this thread it looks to me that designing paper models with Rhino is easier than doing it by hand. I wonder how difficult is it to learn the basics of the software, how much time would it take to learn to design basic things.

In any case it seems that creating a new design with this is a better option than trying to re-design an already existing model that was hand-drawn.

I have a question. Probably it is a silly one, but still I’ll make it: suppose one person designs one object with Rhino at certain scale (let’s say, a tire or a chair at 1:24). Can other person open that same file and re-scale it easily (like down to 1:33 or 1:48)?. I suppose it is possible, but are there any considerations about the thickness of the surfaces that should be taken into account when is time to unfold the parts? (Does the thickness of the materials shrinks too when the object is downscaled?)

My other question is about compatibility. Let’s say my brother has designed a building in AutoCAD. Is it possible to import that AutoCAD building into Rhino to work with it?

Thanks for the information all of you have shared in this thread. I understand very little, but it is nice to learn new things.
 
Z

Zathros

Rhino is as good as you want to make it. Which really means that it can take you as far as you are willing to go. There are many ways to do the same thing. but there are ways of developing bad habits which could limit your ability.

Rhino's final output can be a jpg, bmp, png, also around 50 other formats.

So, yes, it's final output can be scaled, and within Rhino, you can scale the output. Of course this may mean rearranging parts so they fit on a page. This is always a big consideration in paper modeling.

As far as unrolling, remember this when you design the model. I have not had a problem with this. Rhino will tell you the percentage of distortion from the "UnRoll" but since the part is going to be curved back up, this is not a bad thing. It is very intuitive.

There are some really bad tutorials out there, also, many many good ones. I think of any software I have ever used, the community of people using this program have really thrown it out into the web, and once you get a basic understanding, you can then find tutorials on how to do whatever you wish. If you have a good eye, you will be able to explore and do it yourself.

AutoCad can be imported into Rhino. You may have to adjust some variables, as there are many ways of outputting AutoCad files.

If you are a student, you can get Rhino for around $200 bucks! :)

p.s. I sometimes give silly answers, but try to be consistent. In all seriousness though, no question is silly if it is honest.
 
Z

Zathros

That's easy, just select a surface by clicking on it, then go to surfaces, and select, "UnRollDevelopableSrf, click O.K. on the dialog box, and you will see your surface in the center of the Grid. :)
 
Z

Zathros

This thread will stay open for any asking for any tips about Rhino3D. Also, I would highly encourage people who use this program to offer their own answers, or tips, in this thread. I am going to move to another topic. I will be building the Douglass World Cruiser, (in a thread of the same named), and continue a Tutorial there. Any questions of the simple Sharpie boat Hull posted in the beginning of this thread will be answered in this thread. :)
 
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