software design question for Rhino Newbie

[pdavidson]

Is it possible to design a hull in rhino with just an side drawing and a top drawing? I am building a radio controlled model boat so it doesn't have to be exact.

Are there any tutorials on importing line drawings into rhino and designing the hull. I have the Rhino marine tutorial aready.

Are there any better software programs out there.

Thanks.

[CGN]

Better than Rhino?, maybe not.....and yes you can model your boat from a top and side view inside rhino, there are similars like TouchCad 3D and Concpets 3D, i like TouchCAD, Concepts 3D, is very good but Rhino got me

the other "advantage" of rhino is that help is almost anywhere now on the net

good luck!

[DaveB]

Originally Posted by pdavidson

Is it possible to design a hull in rhino with just an side drawing and a top drawing?
Thanks.

I'm with CGN... rhino's pretty good! If you've got two views, you can use the Crv2View command to make a 3 d curve from two 2-d curves...

I believe there's a good tutorial in the Rhino Marine Tutorial

Cheers,

Dave

[Navaldesign]

Rhino is quite good for getting surfaces out from side and top vew plans. You will need to build 3d curves from the two 2d curves, eventually fair them, and then create your surfaces. However, hull "natural curves" as chines f.e., are not sufficient by themselves to define the surfaces in a unique way. Rhino will "smooth" the surfaces by itself, and this will probably give you strange results in some cases. So you must define yourself some cross sections that will "oblige" Rhino to stick on them. Of course you will find out yourself. Experience is almost everyrthing.

[Navaldesign]

Hi pdavidson

from what i can see in the pictures the actuall boat seems to have a constant V planning hull with a high length to beam ratio. I don't currently have anything similar but i can give you a 13 m variable V charter fisherman design. It's just a scratch for a new contract so it needs further work. Find also the lines in DWG. The hull has been created just the way you want, that is from a profile and a top vew.

[ludesign]

TouchCAD offers several advantages. Since all controls are on the object, it is very easy to combine objects into control curves. The upcoming TouchCAD 3.5 also offers some very useful tools for redistributing controls evenly over the object to avoid the unfairness typically generated by using the lines as they are. The align to curve/surface tools are also excellent aids for combining 2D objects into 3D objects. If the input data consists of scanned in images, TouchCAD enables you to import separate high resolution background images for the Front, Top and Side views. These images are exact in scale and follow the 3D model when you zoom and pan. The import dialog also enables you to fine-tune such images by rotating, scaling with individual settings horizontally and vertically, deforming and skewing to remove perspective effects etc.

[PhotoBoatGuy]

From the top and side views, you will be able to define the sheer and centerline profile in three-d. However, to fill in the shape in between, you will need at least a couple of sections.

If you have any construction drawings, you can probably glean enough information to create the sections needed. These sections will be more valuable than either the profile or sheer in three-d, since they (the sections) cause the hull to actually have shape.

Together, the sheer, sections and profile will allow you to faithfully duplicate the hull.

McNeel has a free tutorial on fairing hull surfaces. Additionally, I recommend the Marine Tutorials (shameless plug - I wrote them).

Cheers,

**********************************************************************
*** Cliff W. Estes cestes@basline.com ***
*** BaseLine Technology ph (425)882-7317 ***
*** 15834 NE 67th Place fax (425)882-7327 ***
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Hydrostatics from Rhino using RhinoStatics
http://www.basline.com/rhinoplugin
Quality Marine Fairing, Modeling and Rendering
http://www.basline.com/imggal.shtm

[pdavidson]

Cliff:

I do have some construction photos, not drawings that give me a good idea of what the stations look like. Do you know of any tutorial which shows how to design a hull from drawings? (I know it is asking a lot). I also bought your marine tutorials and am about halfway through the first one. The boat is a double chined pilot boat - a variable deadrise hull (?) I think.

Thanks.

[PhotoBoatGuy]

After you finish the skiff, skip forward to the sailboat tut. It deals with creating a hull from a series of stations. In your case, treat the bottom, chine strake and side as separate surfaces and loft each from sections.

Alternatively, you can use the sections to generate the chines and loft the chine strake and sides as developable surfaces. When it comes to the bottom, loft it the same way you loft the bottom panel in the skiff tut.

Hope this helps.