Viewpoint names in Rhino

[Willallison]

I'm playing around with the demo of Rhino 2 (had it for a while but never seem to get the time to try it.... )

I find what I call the viewpoint names - Top, Right, Front and Perspective confusing (not Perspective, but the other 3)
Is there a way of changing the names? eg to "X", "Y", "Z"

[duluthboats]

Hi Will,

Right click, in the viewport you wish to change the name in. Select viewport properties, Type in new name in the Title box. This only works for the drawing you’re working on. XYZ won’t be enough; you can have as many viewports as you wish. But I think you can only see up to 4 at a time.

Gary

[BrettM]

We learn something every day. Which helps since I have only had the program 6 weeks. Keeps the tips coming...

[Polarity]

But I think you can only see up to 4 at a time.
.....

er... actually, click-hold the 4 viewports button select "+viewport" and draw another one! - this is very cool but they tend to disapear!

While we are on the subject of Rhino, after this brief exchange:

http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthr...=6548#post6548

Just for fun, I made up a kind of basic tutorial on "example way to draw a hull in rhino" and get hydrostatics for it. Anyone interested? here's an example http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/sh...t=1&thecat=500 .. if so let me know and I am sure Jeff can figure out a way fo me to make it accessable!

Paul

[Willallison]

Absolutely interested ! Go Paul / Jeff!

[Willallison]

Thanks Gary. Changed the names no probs - why do you say X, Y, or Z won't do ? They're the terms used in Multisurf....

[duluthboats]

Will,
The great thing about Rhino and other 3D software is you can view the model from any direction, and from any location. Most times I use 1 or 2, sometimes it’s helpful to have 2 different perspective views along with the 1 I’m drawing on.

Paul, cool, I now remember doing that once, but at the time didn’t see a need to use it. I could use it now. Do you know where I can get a cheap 36” monitor.

Gary

[Tad]

Polarity:

Here is a "very" short Rhino tutorial I posted on another forum.


To draw a boat in rhino I start with the profile, just as you would on a piece of paper. Start in the "Front" view box. Start at the top of the stem and draw the stem and forefoot in one line with about 5 points. End it underwater at about station #1. Draw the sheer in profile starting with a "snap" to the top of the stem. Only worry about how it looks in one view at a time.

Draw the sheer with about 4-6 points to the top of the transom. Do the same for the profile/bottom centerline. Again "snap" to the bottom of the stem. Run the bottom centerline back to the bottom of where the transom will be.

Now go to the "Top" view. What you've drawn so far are a couple of straight lines. Select the sheer and hit the "show points" button. Pull on the points to get the deck line in plan view. Now you need some sections. Depending on the size of the boat you want three or four section shapes. The first will be the transom. In the "Top view" snap a line from the end of the sheer to the bottom centerline end. Then rebuild that line with 5 points, do this in "curve, edit tools, rebuild".

In the "right" view box you see a straight line from sheer to centerline. Select the line, show points, and pull it out into your transom shape. Go through another couple of curves like this. First draw the straight line in the top view and the pull it into shape in the right view. You need one section amidships and another forward.

Then you are ready to put a surface on this shape.
In "surface" select "sweep 2 rails". In your model select the sheer and bottom centerline as your rails. Then select your section line as the "cross section curves", work from stern to your stem line. Hit enter and you have a surface.

There’s a lot more but you have a hull you can look at and adjust to your hearts content. If you are doing a vee-bottom just substitute the chine for the bottom centerline and make two surfaces.

Have fun!


All the best, Tad.

[Willallison]

That's great Tad. It gives a simple description about the basis for operating Rhino as a marine surface modelling tool. I assume that there are a number of different line, surface etc types that you can use to produce the model.....? If so, it shows that the user operates Rhino in essentially the same way as Multisurf (and a number of others no doubt) which is the one I've had most experience with - but can't afford to buy!

I look forward to seeing all of Pauls 'tutorial' too - It'll be interesting to see if you both do it the same way.....

[Polarity]

Hi Tad +Will

Similar but not the same!

Jeff

There are about 18 pictures similar to the one in the gallery(thats about no 9ish, I can bring it down to 100k a pic - any smaller and its impossible to see whats going on. - I think maybe you have better resizing software though...

Jeff what would be the best way for this - start a thread and post them one after another? the only problem with that is that you end up with a 1.8MB thread at 100k a pic.

Paul

[Tad]

Polarity; I'm looking forward to seeing how you go about this.


Will; thanks for your comments. I have used an older version of Multisurf for many years and there are major differences between it and Rhino.

All the lines and surfaces I speak of in the above tutorial are B-splines (NURBS). These are splines or surfaces where the control points lie somewhere off the line or surface. I believe all surfaces in Rhino are Nurb surfaces.

In Multisurf you can chose from 5 or six types of curves or surfaces; A, B, C, F, X, and Nurb. John Letcher of Multisurf has a preference for hull surfaces of C-splines controlled by "Master Curves" of B-splines. He believes this produces a hull that is fairer and more easily faired. I believe he is right. The C-spline surface seems stiffer to me.

I can create a somewhat fair hull in Rhino by reducing the control points to the bare minimum, but I'm still not convinced the hull is truly fair. Of course "fair" is a subjective term, what's fair to me may not be fair to you. At any rate I think you can create a fair hull surface quickly in Multisurf. I still get them plotted out and lay a batten on the lines to check.

But then!!!! Take your model into Rhino, it is much quicker and easier for adding all the details. Again, this is compared to my old version of Multisurf, I am sure they have improved the newer versions.

I do create complete models in Rhino because it's quick, now that I have a set procedure. This makes it easy to compare the looks of various features. I'm sure there are other methods that would work just as well.

All the best, Tad.

[Jeff]

Jeff what would be the best way for this - start a thread and post them one after another?

Excellent - I can't wait to see them!

That is about the best compression I can get too using either Corel PhotoPaint or PhotoShop without losing the quality.

A forum thread would work fine for broadband users.

If you want I could always add a new (sub)category in the gallery. The only thing is that you would have to post them in reverse order (#20 first, #1 last) so they can be arranged by date & time posted (newest at the top), because right now there is no option to rearrange them manually. But that will come, hopefully soon.

Either way you want to post them would be great and very much appreciated as usual.

[Polarity]

Tad

I was surprised at the similarity more than the differences ! - bearing mind that I am not and never have been a designer or NA and I'm only doing this for the fun of it. I will be really interested in everyones feedback!

Jeff

Ok, I want to re do a part of it as I forgot an extra trick to avoid a nasty seam at the join... (as usual it was about 3 am when I came up with this idea!)

I will reduce them all to 100k ish and post over the w/e into a thread, one pic per message.

Paul

[Willallison]

Tad.
The version of Multisurf that I've been using is an older one too -and only the 'light' version at that, so it misses out on a lot of the features of the full and newer versions. But, like you, I like the way M/S allows you to place points and then curves, through specific points - ie c-splines. I'm yet to come across another program which easily allows this........

[duluthboats]

Thanks to Paul and Tad for the primer on Rhino. You guys did an excellent job. I have Cliff’s tutorial, and while he won’t be worrying about the competition the basics are similar. I also want to highlight Paul’s comment about the difference in drawing and designing. The more I learn about boats the more I realize how little I know. The software is not going to make you a designer.

See how much knowledge can come from a simple question. Thanks Will. So lets have another question.

Gary