How is this different from native Rhino commands?

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nscott
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Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 4:15 pm
Location: vancouver, canada

How is this different from native Rhino commands?

Post by nscott »

Just saw this new Rhino plug-in. Many of the commands listed in the features, look identical to Rhino commands. E.G.mesh booleans, mesh offset, line analysis (=zebra?), offset mesh, etc. Are these separate from the rhino commands? My understanding is that McNeel will be overhauling the mesh functions in Rhino for Version 6. Does your plug-in take this into account?
Finally, one or two companies are selling online services that essentially shrinkwrap a model in a watertight mesh. Does you plug-in have that ability?
Looks interesting, look forward to learning more.
Nick
MecSoft Support
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Location: Irvine, CA, USA
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Re: How is this different from native Rhino commands?

Post by MecSoft Support »

Good questions! We have prepared a document to explain exactly that and I am reproducing the text below. Hope this answers your questions.

Why Rhino3DPRINT?
Many times Rhino users ask us why one needs Rhino3DPRINT because the existing mesh tools in Rhino can be used in many cases to get mesh models to the 3D printer. This document describes the Raison d'être for this product. It should be noted at the outset, that the tools provided by Rhino used in combination with the tools provided by Rhino3DPRINT will make this combination an outstanding product to use for users of 3D printers.
3D Printer Specific Tools
Rhino3DPRINT provides 3D print specific tools apart from the mesh modeling tools that Rhino provides. While a large portion of the tools necessary to help get models ready for 3D printing can be considered model editing tools, Rhino3DPRINT goes beyond this set of modeling tools. While Rhino is a modeling platform, Rhino3DPRINT is an application that leverages some of the functionality in Rhino while adding specific functionality required for the application area it addresses.
Some of these application specific tools that are not offered by Rhino are as follows:
1. Auto Fix – automatically diagnose and fix holes, self intersections, incorrectly oriented triangles and creates a closed mesh to have it ready for 3D printing.
2. Mesh Smoothing – Smooth a given mesh using smoothing algorithms
3. Mesh Re-faceting – Add additional triangles to make the mesh more uniform
4. Create slices for debugging purposes or for sending out to the printer as G-code
5. Align and fit the mesh geometry to printer volume
6. Check mesh for overhangs, wall thickness before printing
7. Check to ensure the mesh is entirely within the printer volume
Some of the tools that are automated by Rhino3DPRINT but can be accomplished in Rhino in steps:
1. Stitch open meshes to create a closed mesh. A Rhino user can accomplish by tedious manual editing of the meshes, if the triangle edges do not match up correctly. Rhino3DPRINT offers a single button click to perform this operation.
2. Mesh Splitting. Planes and other geometry can be created and then the split command employed to accomplish this in Rhino. Rhino3DPRINT offers this in a single user friendly dialog without the need to create any additional geometry.
Some of the tools that Rhino3DPRINT offers that are offered by Rhino as well are
1. Boolean Operations – Unite, Subtract & Intersect
2. Mesh Reduction
3. Mesh offset
Our testing has indicated that the all of these operations offered by Rhino3DPRINT are faster and in some cases more robust that those native Rhino’s tools. In any case, these tools provide an alternative implementation of these important tools that are essential for 3D Printing.
Browser Interface
Rhino3DPRINT provides a unified dock-able browser interface that presents all the tools one would need for 3D printing in one place and in a logical order. This makes it easy for the uninitiated to get at the tools needed to enable 3D printing.
3D Printing Tools Platform
Rhino3DPRINT provides a platform on which to build other 3D printing specific tools. As this product matures we envision this tool to sport additional features and functions that will not be purveyed by a modeling platform such as Rhino. Examples of this are as follows:
1. Automatic Support Structure Creation
2. Stacking and nesting module to fit parts in the 3D printer volume to optimize printing
3. Color/Texture/Materials assignment to one or more triangles in a mesh
4. Additional Modeling Tools such as RhinoART
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