As many of you know, I will be teaching a basic sophomore-level CAD class at Otis College of Art & Design during the spring of 2009. As the class progresses, I’ll be publishing what we learn each week here on the site, so that anyone else who wants to can join in. We’re starting at the very beginning here: greetings noobs! You’ve come to the right place!
For a complete syllabus, including a few reasons why we’re learning Rhino in the first place, see this post.
Most of my students have at least fundamental experience with a 2D drawing application such as Adobe Illustrator. Rhino is a lot like illustrator in many ways, but for two major differences: precision, and 3D.
Video 01:
- opening a new document
- maximizing/restoring a viewport
- navigating in 3D space (rotate, pan, zoom)
- basic rectangle
- zoom extents, zoom selected
- select/delete
- basic box tool
- shaded/wireframe viewports
- basic sphere tool
- drag move
- drag with ‘elevator mode’
Three more vids after the jump:
Video 02:
- polygon tool
- curve boolean basics
- enter/space/right-click equivalency
- left-right vs right-left box select
Video 03:
- solid boolean basics (add/subtract/intersect)
caution: booleans are a great way to quickly deal with very simple geometry, but they are NOT a good modeling methodology in many situations. As we learn new ways of working, we’ll using booleans less and less.
Video 04:
- homework: skyline
- use good composition!
- use booleans to create interesting buildings
- solid fillet basics
- viewport context menu intro
- viewport focal length intro
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Adam O'Hern is an industrial design consultant specializing in visual brand languages, and has designed products ranging from laptops to power tools, classroom toys to bathroom fixtures, and robots to lint rollers. He has published with 3DWorld Magazine, CGTuts+, and Luxology, and works with Josh Mings of SolidSmack.com on EngineerVsDesigner.com. |
Indeed yours tutorial lessons Intro to Rhino were wonderful and useful at the same time. In fact it was a very big advantage for me that these courses were free, no cost.
Was Intro to Rhino 023 the last lesson?
from Romania, all the best for you!
Hi Stefan! Yes, I believe 23 was the last one, but there are others around the site, e.g. the iPhone tutorial, etc. Enjoy!
Hi Adam
Thankyou for making these tutorials available.
I have been working through the manual which came with my rhino software, I have found it frustrating at times to say the least.
I’m 18 months in but I will follow your class from the begining as already you have shown me tools which I did not know about.
Thanks again
Laurie
Great! Feel free to let me know if you have questions.
Adam
Very good! Do you have more? I am looking for any and all info to master this software, so far you provide the best info in an easy to follow format.
Hi Adam,
Once again, thanks for your prompt reply. Your explanations were comprehensive!
The reason I asked you this question was because of a thesis I wrote a year ago.
It constantly brings me into deep thoughts on whether this workflow is possible or not.
Basically my thesis discussed on a topic of 5-axes virtual machining:
1) I first construct the freeform-shaped model in MAYA (in sub-D then convert to NURBS)
2) Query the NURBS control points using MEL
3) Then output to a C++ post processor and
4) Finally parse into some machining parameters.
The end result was satisfying where the stock material was machined to the required tolerance while the tool cutting paths maintained a close relationship with the topology of the designed model.
For the past 1 year, I’ve been trying to integrate MODO into 2D drafting layout (AutoCAD).
Here are the solutions I could think of:
1) Bring the .obj into mesh-to-solid convertor and directly export to .stl
2) Bring the .obj into rhino and convert it using t-spline to form watertight NURBS
Apparently, the drawback is to integrate intermediate software(s) and it is not practical for simple shape design.
Yes you are right! Choosing a suitable workfow is so important.
And I agree that adding sharp details are time consuming in MoDO. (Sometimes I got owned just because I want to insert a circle through a piece of geometry. =_=”)
Perhaps until a stage whereby MODO can perform direct boolean operation within sub-d, cross-functioning between animation and manufacturing fields could be made possible :)
Thanks for your time and invaluable sggestions :)
Best Regards
Ching Hong
Hi Ching Hong:
The answer to your question depends on the type of geometry required, and the desired level of control you wish to have over the final product.
Modo is adequate for creating the primary form of an organic model, but adding sharp details like screw bosses, ribs, logos, and other small surface features is extremely difficult and time consuming. A perfect example is an embossed logo: in order to add an embossed logo in Modo, you must sacrifice edit-ability almost entirely by doing a dense-mesh boolean operation. In CAD these kinds of details are much simpler.
I always recommend that my clients carefully consider the type of geometry, the desired output, and the desired number of iterations before choosing a workflow. If you’re finding that you can get the desired results more quickly using modo, and that there are no downstream consequences, then do it!
I have not yet found that to be the case with any of my clients. In fact, there is only one industrial design team that I know if in the entire nation who is using modo for hard-goods design, and even they do not use it for prototyping. I was even a member of a team that experimented with using sub-d for industrial design, and after months of constant problems, we abandoned the effort entirely.
If you are able to make it work for you, do let me know!
All the best,
Adam
Dear Adam, I have a question that puzzles me for quite sometime, and I’d like to hear your opinion:
“Are models constructed in animation software ready to be delivered for prototype?”
Let’s say…
When constructing a conceptual model in MODO (an organic-freeform mp3 player), we try to conform to the required dimensions with the help of MODO’s XYZ numerical manipulator and snapping tools.
Thus I assume that it is possible to achieve accurate results.
Next, we tesselate this piece of .obj mesh into solid using sycode or t-spline and export to .stl or nurbs format for rapid protptyping.
This workflow totally eliminates the use of CAD software and saves alot of time.
*I understand that Design for Manufacturing (DFM) would be an issue here because the model is not done by CAD software and therefore no stored dimensions in it.
As this method is purely by tesselation from the polymesh that we output from MODO.
Anyway, we’ll skip this DFM issue aside because I am more concern with producing the prototype in a short amount of time.
So I would like to know what’s your opinion with this method? Can this method be adopted in product design industry?
Haha, thanks Ching Hong. Glad you find them useful. I don’t currently have a copy of T-Splines on my demo machine, but maybe in the future I’ll be able to put together some tutorials. Have fun!
I am a mechanical engineer and I love Modo as well:)
And I want to let you know that you are the type of designer that I wish to become. :)
I recently start to learn t-spline in rhino, hope you can post some god-like tutorials. Thanks in advance! :)
Hi
Just came across your 1st tutorial on Rhino. I found it so good. Very easy to follow, and you managed to make a difficult programme so easy to understand.
I intend to watch them all a few at a time, so thank you so much for posting these tutorials. I am currently studying for BA Hons at the moment and this will help me so much.
Thank you, thank you thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an effective way. You are making a huge difference in this aspiring maker’s existence. Even though it’s not possible for me to go to school in a traditional sense, I am excited that at least in whatever spare time I find away from the drudgery of earning a living, I can learn and practice that which holds my interest and excitement – designing and making things. Your kind act of sharing class material, tutorials and your wisdom about ID with the wider audience is hugely important and undoubtedly counts for very positive karma. You’re a good man Adam!
You’re so welcome! I do it for you. Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see.
Adam
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What I find so intersteing is you could never find this anywhere else.
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I live in Thailand.I try very hard to learn this programe it really compricated for me.I’m in jewelly bussiness.looking for further class
thank you very much.
Krit:
Glad you’re finding it useful. There are already four more weeks’ worth of tutorials. Just click “Tutorials” at the top of this site, and you’ll see the others in the list. Enjoy!
Adam
very good tutorial! not to fast clear and through why do you like modo so much could you compare it to zbrush if you have time please answer doest have to be lengthy. caswell
Hi Caswell:
Rhino isn’t really like Z-Brush at all. It’s not even in the same category of application; they can’t really be compared.
Adam