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Rhino for Furniture Design - Intermediate Level

Course Outline

Written by an experienced design professional, Rhino for Furniture Design gives a detailed insight into the furniture design process from concept to production and is packed with time saving tips and tricks. This course is aimed primarily at furniture designers who wish to migrate from a conventional 2D design process to a modern 3D digital workflow.

Each trainee receives the official courseware which comprises of a printed manual, a CD of files and evaluation copies of Penguin, V-Ray for Rhino and RhinoArt.

Structure

In this comprehensive 2-day class you’ll be taken through the design process from concept to production and learn how to use Rhino’s advanced UDT tools alongside visualisation plug-in’s such as V-Ray and Penguin.

Prerequisites

Trainees should have ideally completed the Simply Rhino Level 1 course and have been using Rhino for at least four weeks.

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Curriculum

Introduction - Overview of NURBS topology

Rational v Non-rational geometryClean curves = Clean Surfaces

Working with CurvesCurve rebuilding v curve fittingControl point optimisationCurve Continuity

Working with SurfacesSurface ContinuitySurface GenerationSurface Analysis ToolsRebuilding Surfaces

Exercise 1 – Using a 3D Bounding Box

This exercise looks at basic good modelling practice for furniture designers and shows how using a simple 3D bounding box model as a template for a more complicated design – this methodology makes it easier to develop complex geometry with confidence and ensures that sketch and concept models maintain accurate and realistic proportions.

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Exercise 2 – Creating Complex Curved Surfaces

This exercise looks at creating a complex seat surface similar to the above. Starting with simple curves various methods of surface generation (e.g. network surface, sweep 2 rail) will be examined as will the methodology of making half of the complex surface and then using mirror/match/merge to produce a symmetrical surface. New v4 commands highlighted in this tutorial will include symmetry and the variable solid filleting and blending tools.

Exercise 3 – Creating 3D Relief Patterns from 2D Raster Artwork

This exercise looks at using the RhinoArt plug-in to produce 3D decorative detail from 2D raster artwork.

Exercise 4 – Creating pattern detail from 2D Vector Artwork

This exercise looks at importing 2D vector information (for example DXF, Illustrator files), cleaning up the output in Rhino and using the Boolean tools to produce pierced and relief patterning.

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Exercise 5 – Pressed plywood forms

This tutorial looks at producing complex plywood forms using a master surface and offsets and introduces the use of the Orient on Surface and Boolean commands to produce holes and cut-outs that are normal to the surface.

Exercise 6 – Cast Alloy Arms

This tutorial looks at creating complex curved castings – for example arm castings – using the Sweep 1 rail and Loft commands. The tutorial shows how to align the sections on the rail and outlines production considerations such as draft and tool split lines.

Exercise 7 – Solid Tools

This exercise outlines the new v4 Solid Tools and shows how structural supports (metal or wood) can be created as solids and easily modified with features such as holes being easy to move, re-size or delete.

Exercise 8 – Penguin Render

This tutorial shows how Penguin render can be used for sketch and concept renderings.

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Exercise 9 – Basic Animation in Rhino

Using the Turntable and Fly Through commands to create simple presentation animations from within Rhino.

Exercise 10 – Block Instances

This exercise looks at using Rhino Blocks as a means of storing standard component information (for example fasteners, brackets etc) on remote files and bringing them into the assembly file.

Exercise 11 – STL Files

Short primer on writing good STL files for export from Rhino.

Exercise 12 – Rendering in Flamingo and V-Ray

A brief look at how the Flamingo and V-Ray plug-ins bring realistic rendering to Rhino.

© Simply Rhino Limited 2007