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Monday, October 10, 2011

Modeling stereo headphones: Part 2



Learn some techniques for modeling a pair of stereo headphones using the v5 beta of Rhinoceros.

In a rush? Watch the fast version of this video without audio.

Modeling stereo headphones: Part 1



Learn some techniques for modeling a pair of stereo headphones using the v5 beta of Rhinoceros.

In a rush? Watch the fast version of this video without audio.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Modeling a scroll with Rhino



In this Rhinoceros video tutorial you'll learn to model a simple scroll form like those you might see in fine woodwork or on jewelry. The v5 beta of Rhino is used in this video and can be downloaded from www.Rhino3D.com using your v4 license.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Modeling flare and scoop details



In this Rhino video tutorial you'll learn two methods for modeling flare or scoop details. The v5 beta of Rhino is used in this video and is available from www.Rhino3D.com with your v4 license key.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Rhino V5 lightweight extrusion objects


Lightweight extrusion objects use less memory, mesh faster, and save smaller than the traditional polysurfaces.

In models containing large numbers of extrusions represented by traditional polysurfaces, performance can be sluggish due to the relatively high demand on resources. If the same objects are made in Rhino as lightweight extrusion objects, these models are more responsive and plenty of memory is available. T

The UseExtrusions command controls the use of lightweight extrusion objects. To make commands like Box, Cylinder, Pipe, and ExtrudeCrv create lightweight extrusion objects, run UseExtrusions and choose the Extrusions option. To make commands to create traditional polysurfaces, select the Polysurface option.

Extrusion objects consist of a profile curve and a distance and will only display three control points.

Commands Affected

UseExtrusions: This command lets you control the use of extrusion objects. When extrusion use is turned on, Rhino commands that create simple solids and surfaces will use extrusion objects when possible. When extrusion use is turned off, Rhino will use traditional surface and polysurface objects. Turning off extrusion use does not change existing extrusion objects.
SelExtrusions: Selects extrusion objects. It will not select polysurface or surface objects. You can use this command if you really want to see which objects are extrusion objects.
ConvertExtrusion: Converts extrusions to traditional polysuface or surface objects. You can choose to either replace the existing extrusions or add the converted objects.
Dir: Extrusion objects work like polysurfaces and surfaces.
SelPolySrf, SelOpenPolySrf, SelClosedPolySrf: Select extrusion objects that look and act like traditional polysurface objects.
SelSrf, SelClosedSrf, SelOpenSrf: Select extrusion objects that look and act like traditional surfaces.
ExtrudeCrv: Create lightweight extrusion objects when possible.
Box, Cylinder, Tube: Create lightweight extrusion objects.
Pipe, Slab: Create lightweight extrusion objects when possible.
Explode: Exploding an extrusion object results in an exploded a polysurface.
Mesh: The walls are always meshed with quads running the length of the extrusion. The caps are generally meshed with triangles.
SaveAs V4: Extrusion objects are converted to polysurfaces when saving as V4 files.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Today's Tip: Rhino Support Newsgroup

Get help from the Rhino Support Newsgroup—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. news://news.rhino3d.com/rhino.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

New commands in Rhino 5

AcadSchemes: Edit AutoCAD export schemes. AddCamera: Inserts a new view camera. ApplyCurvePiping:Constructs a mesh pipe display around a curve. ApplyCustomMapping: Add a custom texture mapping channel to an object. ApplyDisplacement: Constructs a displacement display mesh for surfaces, polysurfaces, or meshes. ApplyEdgeSoftening: Constructs an edge-softening display mesh for surfaces, polysurfaces, or meshes. ApplyShutLining: Constructs a shut-line display mesh for surfaces, polysurfaces, or meshes. ArcBlend: Create an arc blend curve between two curves. ArrayLinear: Copy and space objects in a single direction. BlockEdit: Allow editing a block in place to add or remove geometry or change the insertion point. BoxEdit: Size, scale, position, and rotate objects numerically. BringForward: Bring curves forward in draw order. BringToFront: Bring curves to the front in draw order. CamerasOff: Removes selected cameras. ClearDrawOrder: Return curve draw order to the default. ContentFilter: Opens the Content Filter dialog box. ContinueCurve: Continues to draw the selected curve using control points. ContinueInterpCrv: Continues to draw the selected curve interpolating through picked points. ConvertDots: Convert Dot objects to either point or text objects. ConvertExtrusion: Converts extrusion objects to surfaces and polysurfaces. ComputeVertexColors: Evaluate texture coordinates and set vertex colors. CreaseAngle: Dimension the angle between two planes. CreaseSplitting: Control whether surface creation commands divide creased surfaces into polysurfaces. CreateRegions: Replaces a non-manifold polysurface with all solid manifold regions defined by the surfaces of the input. DevSrf: Displays the developable ruling lines between pairs of rails. DigLine: Draw a line normal to a surface with a digitizing arm. DimArea: Dimensions the area of a closed curve, surface, mesh, or hatch. DimCurveLength: Dimensions the length of a curve. DisableClippingPlanes: Turn off all clipping planes in the active viewport. DraftAnglePoint: Places a point object on a surface the surface's draft angle break location. DupDimStyle: Create new dimension styles by copying existing styles. EditPythonScript: Edits a Python script. EnableClippingPlane: Turn on selected clipping planes in the active viewport. EnterEnd: Simulate the Enter key to complete a command string in a script. EnvironmentEditor: Background color, image, projection. Eval: Evaluate an expression at the command line. ExtractAnalysisMesh: Duplicate an object's analysis mesh. ExtractCurvatureGraph: Duplicate a curve's curvature graph. ExtractPipedCurve: Duplicates a curve's piping mesh. FindText: Search for specified text. GetDocumentUserText: Retrieve text information attached to a file with the SetDocumentUserText command. HatchBase: Set a starting point for existing hatches. HatchScale: Scales hatch patterns in model and layout space. HideLayersInDetail: Conceal layers in a detail view. HideRenderMesh: Hides the render mesh displayed with the ShowRenderMesh command. ImportDimStyles: Import dimension styles into the current document. ImportLayout: Import a print layout viewport from another file. IntersectTwoSets: Finds the intersection of one set of objects with another set of objects. Isometric: Change the current viewport properties to a parallel projection isometric view looking from a specified quadrant toward 0. MakeUniformUV: Make the surface knots uniform in u- or v-direction. MarkFoci: Place point objects at focus locations of conic curves. MatchCrvDir: Change a curve's direction to match another curve's direction. MatchMapping: Change an object's texture mapping properties to match another object. MatchProperties: Change an object's properties to match another object. MaterialEditor: Open Properties: Materials. MergeAllEdges: Merges all possible edges of a surface or polysurface. MeshRepair: Opens the Mesh Repair wizard. MirrorHole: Create a mirror image copy of one or more holes in a single planar surface. ModifyRadius: Change the radius of existing arcs and circles. MonkeyRunActiveScript: Runs the script currently loaded in the Monkey editor. NonmanifoldMerge: Creates a non-manifold polysurface from intersecting surfaces and polysurfaces. OffsetPolysurface: Copies a polysurface so that locations on the copied polysurface are the same specified distance from the original polysurface. PolygonCount: Report the number of mesh polygons in a selected object. PopupPopular: Display a menu with the most-used commands. RebuildUV: Reconstruct surfaces to a specified control point number in the u- or v-directions. RememberCopyOptions: Specifies whether Copy option on transform commands is stored. RemoveMultiKnot: Remove multiple knots from curves and surfaces. RenderAddEnvironment: Add render environment. RenderAddMaterial: Add render material. RenderAddTexture: Add render texture. RenderChangeEnvironment: Change render environment. RenderChangeMaterial: Change render material RenderChangeTexture: Change render texture. RenderConvertOldStyleMaterials: Convert old style render materials. RenderCreateRenderFrame: Create render frame. RenderDeleteEnvironment: Delete render environment. RenderDeleteMaterial: Delete render material. RenderDeleteTexture: Delete render texture. RenderDuplicateEnvironment: Duplicate render environment. RenderDuplicateMaterial: Duplicate render material. RenderDuplicateTexture: Duplicate render texture. RenderGroundPlaneOptions: Set render ground plane options. RenderInstanceSimilarContent: Instance similar render content. RenderLoadEnvironmentFromFile: Load render environment from file. RenderLoadMaterialFromFile: Load render material from file. RenderLoadTextureFromFile: Load render texture from file. RenderOpenLastRendering: Open last rendering in render window. RenderPostEffectPlugInOptions: Open the Options dialog box at the Post Effect Plugins Page. RenderRemoveUnusedMaterials: Remove unused render materials. RenderRenameEnvironment: Rename render environment. RenderRenameMaterial: Rename render material. RenderRenameTexture: Rename render texture. RenderRenderingDocumentProperties: Set rendering document properties. RenderRenderingOptions: Set rendering options. RenderSafeFrameOptions: Set render safe frame options. RenderSaveEnvironmentToFile: Save a specified render environment setting to a *.renv file. RenderSaveMaterialToFile: Save a specified material to a *.rmtl file. RenderSaveTextureToFile: Save a specified texture to a *.rtex file. RenderSetCurrentEnvironment: Provides a scripting option for setting an environment. RenderSunOptions: Opens the sun options dialog box. Repeat: Repeat any command or script/macro. ReplaceBlock: Replace block instances with a different block definition. RevCloud: Draw revision cloud curves. Revert: Discard changes and revert to the previously saved document. RPC: Insert Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC) objects. RunPythonScript: Run a Python script. ScaleByPlane: Resize objects in two directions non-uniformly. SelBoundary: Select objects within an existing closed curve. SelBrush: Drag mouse like a brush stroke to select objects. SelBrushPoints: Drag mouse like a brush stroke to select points and control points. SelCircular: Draw a circle to select objects. SelClippingPlane: Select all clipping planes. SelDimStyle: Select dimensions of a specified style. SelectionFilter: Restrict a selection mode to specified object types. SelExtrusion: Select extrusion objects. SelHatch: Select hatch objects. SelLine: Select all lines. SelMappingWidget: Select all texture mapping widgets. SelNonManifold: Select non-manifold objects. SelPictureFrame:Selects all objects created with the PictureFrame command. SelRenderColor: Select objects by their render color. SelVolumeBox: Select objects inside, outside, or crossing a box-shaped volume. SelVolumePipe: Select objects inside, outside, or crossing a pipe-shaped volume. SelVolumeSphere: Select objects inside, outside, or crossing a spherical volume. SendBackward: Send curves backward in draw order SendFile: Opens the default mail program with the current file as an attachment. SendToBack: Send curves to back of draw order SeparateMapping: Separate mapping on objects with shared mapping. SetDimStyle: Specifies the current dimensions style. SetDocumentUserText: Attach text information to the file. SetViewSpeed: Change the speed of view manipulation, such as pan, rotate and zoom. ShellPolysurface: Remove the selected surfaces from a polysurface, and then offset the remaining surfaces to create a solid with a specified thickness. ShowLayersInDetail: Redisplay hidden layers in a detail view. ShowRenderMesh: Displays the render mesh for selected objects. ShowSelectedInDetail: Redisplay selected hidden objects in a detail view. ShowZBuffer: Create a grayscale z-buffer bitmap with the same dimensions as the viewport. SmartTrack: Turns on a system of temporary reference lines and points. SnapToLocked: Allow snaps to work on locked objects and locked layers. SolidPtOn: Turn on control points for polysurfaces. SplitCrv: Split a curve into multiple segments. Squish: Flatten a non-developable (curved in two directions) 3D mesh or NURBS surface into a flat 2D pattern. SquishBack: Return curves and surfaces to the original squished 3D shape. SunTab: Opens the Sun window. SuperExplodeBlock: Explode a block including any nested blocks into component objects. SynchronizeRenderColors: Change an object's material color to match its object or layer display color. TextScale: Scales text in model and layout space. TexturePalette: Opens the Texture Editor. ToggleRenderMesh: Toggles the display state of render meshes on an object. TriangulateRenderMeshes: Split all quadrangular polygon render mesh faces into two triangles. UnjoinEdge: Split polysurface edges. Unwrap: Surface mapping texture coordinates and the texture assigned to the object are projected onto the world xy-plane. ZoomNonManifold: Find and mark non-manifold edges on selected objects.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Modeling a parametric rosette with Grasshopper


In this Grasshopper video tutorial, you'll learn to define a custom rosette oriented normal to any surface. Use of referenced geometry, vector analysis, and index culling are among the techniques covered in this lesson.

Watch the tutorial now!

Defining a parametric weave with Grasshopper



In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to cull and organize rows of points to create a woven structure. Components such as the param viewer, tree branch, and cull pattern are used.

Watch the tutorial now!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Modeling your way out of trouble spots



In this tutorial, you'll learn one way to model an embossed detail or logo into a doubly curved surface. Techniques for fixing self intersections in tightly bent fillets and pipes are shown. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

An introduction to nXt for Rhino



Learn the basics of setting up a rendering using Flamingo nXt in Rhino. Material creation and assignment, lighting presets, and depth of field are among the topics covered.

You can download the model used in this tutorial.

nXt is also currently available as a free beta from http://nxt.flamingo3d.com/

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Modeling 3D Textures



In this tutorial, you'll learn how to model several different 3D textures using Rhino.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Introduction to Section Tools



In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to use Section Tools in Rhino. Create dynamic sections through your model and use them in your layouts.