Which Program: Draw 3d, paint 3d. unfold?

[thorst]

If you are using Rhino, just double click on the field in the upper left corner of one of the views (where it says Perspective, Top, etc...) and you end up with only this view. To switch between views, you can use the buttons on the lower border. You can also save special perspective views, which makes a lot of sence if you use it combined with the Perspective Match function and Background images.

It doesn't have as much tutorials on YouTube as Blender, but there are a lot of very useful tips in the help of the program to each special command, and there are official help videos, too.

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by thorst

If you are using Rhino, just double click on the field in the upper left corner of one of the views (where it says Perspective, Top, etc...) and you end up with only this view. To switch between views, you can use the buttons on the lower border. You can also save special perspective views, which makes a lot of sence if you use it combined with the Perspective Match function and Background images.

It doesn't have as much tutorials on YouTube as Blender, but there are a lot of very useful tips in the help of the program to each special command, and there are official help videos, too.

Rhino V5.0.

Found the view I wanted in the drafting pull down. Interesting program, will need to spend some time getting used to the different tools, way different than printing in AutoCAD.

Can see what you mean when printing the 1:1, checked it out first thing this morning when I cranked it up.

Decided to design a practice rocket from start to finish. Will use the stationing and specs from a book I have. Interested to see how it will handle the various parts. Will probably be asking some questions on the design.

I did read where the unroll, flatten and smash commands can have errors induced when converting the 3d to 2d parts. Any experience or problems anyone have with this?

One thing I do in AutoCAD is set my drawings up using 6-decimal places; 0.000000 which ensures exact part fit. I don't see how to set this up in Rhino, wonder if it even needs to as the new models will be 3d, and then unroll for printing. Parts should fit together correctly I'm hoping.

Thanks for the input you've provided so far!

Mike

[Gil]

Mike,


Setting tolerances is done in properties;

File > Properties > Units - Set the appropriate numbers in the drop down menu

Good luck and have fun,

-Gil

P.S. I like your avatar.

[thorst]

If you want to get a feeling for how to work with Rhino, I recommend to design something more irregular than a rocket. Something with shapes different to simple rotational symmetric shapes, but cases where you need to use Boolean operations or the definition of border curves. Only such cases really show the workflow.

Take a look at the function Sweep two rails, for example, which you will be using a lot when doing paper model designs. Used with a straight line as the cross-section curve, it creates irregular surfaces which you can not describe by cones or cylinders, but which can be unrolled cleanly without using the smash command.

Also try to use Boolean intersections between curved surfaces. Rhino as a surface modeler does have limits at intersecting nearly parallel, curved surfaces, which can require manual fiddling and sometimes approximations or work-arounds. This is hard to understand at the beginning, and I had a hard time with this at the beginning. But it may be very useful to know before starting more complex works.

[jleslie48]

the final vs the original.

[papercruiser]

Originally Posted by jleslie48

the final vs the original.

Love it! It turned out great.

[Thomas Pleiner]

.... good evening,
I feel free to add my comment: I'm using Rhino3D for commercial card-
modeldesign since 2003 - and I'm totally happy with the workflow and
the results ... Rhino3D is used for the 3D-design and the unrolling
all surfaces - ALL OTHER artwork up to the final sheet layout for printing
is done with CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator alternatively - with very little support
by Adobe Photoshop ... see some samples:

[DougH]

Thomas

Not seen the Voith Gravita 10BB before (even though what 6 years old, but a limited run for Paribus). Nor the Scania before which I particularly liked. Is it 1:100. Some nice detail even down to the rear light cluster. Still work in progress.

The Power Station of course well known. Great work

Doug

[jleslie48]

Originally Posted by Thomas Pleiner

.... good evening,
I feel free to add my comment: I'm using Rhino3D for commercial card-
modeldesign since 2003 - and I'm totally happy with the workflow and
the results ... Rhino3D is used for the 3D-design and the unrolling
all surfaces - ALL OTHER artwork up to the final sheet layout for printing
is done with CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator alternatively - with very little support
by Adobe Photoshop ... see some samples:

very nice work. do you have a tutorial/workflow series of snapshots on how to develop with rhino available? how much does rhino cost?

[Thomas Pleiner]

Originally Posted by jleslie48

very nice work. do you have a tutorial/workflow series of snapshots on how to develop with rhino available? how much does rhino cost?

a very detailed turorial for rhino3D can be found here:
Wunwinglows Rhino Tutorial, Sukhoi Su7

For prices you may check US-dealers for it. As far as could I find out
the price for the complete package (be sure to get hold of a student's
licence) is from $ 195 to $ 495. (The commercial licence is $ 1,695).

McNeel Rhino3D offers two comprensive training books and also a comprehensive
tutorial for marine design.
(Other tutorials available are irrelevant for card modelling).

As said before: Rhino3D is absolutely perfect to design the model's
shape and outline and to unroll all surfaces. To take material thickness
into account is a challenging task within the Rhino3D designing process,
because Rhino3D estimates a thickness of "zero" as default.
As always practice is necessary

See attached some pictures having been filed during the design
process of the Saint Lorenz Cathedral in Nuremberg ....
(The first five are renderings from the virtual 3Dmodel)

Cheers
Thomas