Rhinoceros

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Print VersionModeling

Modeling Highlights

Object creation in Rhino continues to be enhanced. In Rhino 5 there are dozens of refines to the existing tools, along with a few new commands and new extrusion objects.

Points

New

  • DraftAnglePoint - Places a point object on a surface where the surface's draft angle matches the input value to help mold makers draw curves where a surface has a given draft angle.
  • MarkFoci - Places a point object at the focus locations of elliptic and circular curves.

Enhancements

  • Divide
    • The Length option has direction feedback and a Flip direction option.
    • A new GroupOutput option allows grouping of resulting point objects.
  • ExtractPt - New OutputLayer option.

Curves

New

  • ArcBlend - Creates a blend curve consisting of two arcs with adjustable endpoints and bulginess adjustment between two curves similar to BlendCrv.
  • ContinueCurve - Continues drawing as if you were still in the Curve command.
  • ContinueInterpCrv - Continues drawing an interpolated curve as if you were still in the original InterpCrv command.
  • ExtractCurvatureGraph - Creates a curve object that is the curvature graph.
  • IntersectTwoSets - This variation of Intersect command allows selecting two sets of objects for finding intersections. The command finds only the intersection between the two groups, ignoring intersections between objects in the same group.
  • TweenCurves - Creates curves between two curves, averaging the parameters of the curves.

Enhancements

  • Arc
    • A new Length option allows defining an arc by center, start, and arc length.
    • New Start, Center, Angle option.
    • StartPoint option added in more places.
    • UI tuneup for the Start, End, Radius option.
    • Length: Added feedback to draw the center, startpoint, and the arc as you pick the length.
    • Now accepts negative numbers for the length which also sets the direction in the reverse of the current direction.
  • Circle
    • A new Orientation option sets the circle plane perpendicular to any picked direction.
    • A new Circumference option sets a center location and a value for the circumference.
    • A new Area option allows drawing a circle of a specified area.
    • The 3Point option has a new Radius option that draws a circle using two points and a specified radius.
    • The FitPoints option accepts control points as well as point objects.
  • Curve, InterpCrv, Polyline, and HandleCurve - New PersistentClose option.
  • DupEdge, DupFaceBorder, ExtractWireframe, and ExtractControlPolygon - New OutputLayer option.
  • Ellipse - The AroundCurve option prompts for the curve first and then the center.
  • ExtractIsocurve - New IgnoreTrims and ExtractAll options.
  • HandleCurve - New PersistentClose, Close, and Sharp options.
  • InterpCrv
    • New PersistentClose option.
    • The StartTangent and EndTangent options have a new Direction sub-option that allows changing the tangent direction when the curve starts from or ends on another curve.
  • Make2D - Speed and accuracy improved. Also, now supports Clipping Planes.
  • Offset
    • A new Cap option connects the offset curves to each other with straight lines or arcs.
    • A new InCPlane option that allows offset parallel to the construction plane.
  • OffsetCrvOnSrf - A new Number option allows multiple output curves.
  • Rectangle
    • New behavior. Hold the Shift key to draw a square. This applies to any command that starts with a rectangle such as the Box command.
    • The 3Point option is now available after the first corner has been picked.

Surfaces

New

  • CreaseSplitting - By default, when a surface creation command, such as ExtudeCrv, Loft, and Sweep, uses input that has kinks, the result is a polysurface with edges at the kinks. If the option SplitAlongCreases=No, the result is a single surface.
  • TweenSurfaces - Creates surfaces between two surfaces, averaging the surface parameters.

Enhancements

  • Extrusion commands now create the new lightweight extrusion objects when possible to save significant memory and improve display speed.
  • ExtrudeCrv
    • New ToBoundary option.
    • A new SplitAtTangents option creates polysurfaces split at tangent arcs and tangent arcs to lines.
    • A new SetBasePoint option allows picking two points to specify the extrusion distance.
  • ExtrudeCrvTapered - New SetBasePoint option allows picking two points to specify the extrusion distance.
  • Fin
    • A new SetBasePoint option sets the first point for the extrusion distance.
    • A new Tangent option allows the fin to be created tangent to the target surface.
  • Heightfield - Most of functionality of MeshHeightField has been merged into the HeightField command.
  • Loft
    • A new SplitAtTangents option specifies whether resulting surfaces will be one surface or a polysurface if the input curves are joined tangent curves.
    • When some, but not all, endpoints of loft shapes touch, the loft type is restricted to Straight or Developable to avoid self-intersecting loops in the resulting surfaces.
    • Align curves now always shows direction arrows.
  • OffsetNormal - New direction arrows display and a Flip option has been added.
  • PlaneThroughPt - Now accepts mesh vertices and control points as input.
  • RailRevolve - A new SplitAtTangents option specifies whether resulting surfaces will be one surface or a polysurface if the input curves are joined tangent curves.
  • Revolve
    • New SplitAtTangents option specifies whether surfaces resulting from joined tangent curves will be one surface or a polysurface.
    • DeformablePointCount option renamed to PointCount .
    • You can now press Enter to use the current construction plane z-axis as the revolve axis.
    • A warning about self-intersecting curves has been added.
  • Ribbon - A new InCPlane option offsets parallel to the construction plane.
  • Sweep1
    • A new Simple option has been added.
    • A new Refit rail option refits the rail curve.
  • VariableFilletSrf - New FromCurve and FromTwoPoints options are available when editing handle radius.

Solids

New

  • New lightweight extrusion solids save significant memory and improve display speed. Extrusions are automatically promoted to polysurfaces when used as command input as needed.
  • CreateRegions - Select a polysurface whose surfaces bound solid regions in space. The input will be replaced with solid polysurfaces that form the regions. This command is typically used after the NonmanifoldMerge command.
  • NonmanifoldMerge - Creates a non-manifold polysurface from intersecting surfaces and polysurfaces, for export to analysis programs and can cause normal Rhino operations on these objects to fail.
  • TruncatedPyramid - Draws a pyramid whose apex is truncated by a plane. Similar to TCone command.

Enhancements

  • BoundingBox - A new Output option results in solids, meshes, curves, or none.
  • Cone - A new Solid option determines whether the object is created as a solid or open.
  • CreateSolid -A new DeleteInput option has been added.
  • Cylinder - A new Solid option determines whether the object is created as a solid or open.
  • ExtrudeSrf and ExtrudeSrfTapered - A new SetBasePoint option allows picking two points to specify the extrusion distance.
  • OffsetSrf
    • A new Solid option with Corners=Round/Sharp option now creates a solid from the original and the offset surface.
    • A new Distance option has been added.
    • A new DeleteInput option keeps the original object.
  • Pipe
    • A new FitRail option refits input curve.
    • Now accepts multiple curves as input.
    • A new Thickness option sets the pipe wall thickness. Negative numbers make the first radius the outer core.
    • History is now supported
  • Pyramid
    • The DirectionConstraint option has been improved.
    • A new Solid option.
    • The last-used number of sides is saved.
  • Slab
    • A new BothSides option has been added.
    • A new InCPlane option offsets parallel to the construction plane.
  • Sphere - The FitPoints option now accepts control points as well as point objects as input.
  • TCone - A new Solid option determines whether the object is created as a solid or open.
  • Tube
    • Allows typing a negative height when picking the end of the tube.
    • A new Solid option determines whether the object is created as a solid or open.
    • A new WallThickness option has been added for selecting the tube thickness.
    • A new BothSides option has been added.