NOVEDGE blog

Novedge Webinar #70: Q&A with Maia Merav Holtzman - Rhino 5 - Better, Bigger, Faster!

One of our most popular webinars ever, last week's episode on Rhino left us with lots of unanswered questions once time ran out. Here Maia Merav Holtzman, from Design Rhino, and Pascal Golay, from McNeel, pick up exactly from where they left off.

 

Q: Can you render with a clipping plane so you just render what you see with the clipping plane?

A: Yes, with Rhino's renderer and some others, like Brazil. Flamingo nXt now recognizes clipping planes as well.

Q: Is there a way to quantify the angle when you create a taper (by scaling a sub object) like that?

A: Not with the gumball, ExtrudeCrvTapered for an exact angle.

Q: Can you position the gumball in a specific location on an object - like the end of a curve or corner of an object?

A: RelocateGumball command is the easy way. This is a command you can type at the command line, or put on a button etc. This allows the location as well as the orientation to be set. In addition, you can adjust the gumball by first holding Alt and then changing the gumball control (its center point) location or scale handles, rotation handles or axis handles. With Alt down first, these changes will affect the gumball widget only and not the geometry the gumball is attached to. Object snaps are allowed.

Q: Will we ever get stones to work with in V5 for those of us in the jewelry industry? Gemstones like in Matrix?

A: It’s possible that Matrix hasn’t released a version that’s fully compatible with V5 yet. I imagine that they will soon, but in the interim I’d be happy to send you stones, and there is a downloadable library of them available at here.

Q: Will a V-Ray 2.0 ever be released for Rhino 5? If not I'll be forced to leave Rhino and I do not want to do that.

A: Presumably yes, but Chaos Group will have the definitive answer to that.

Q: Can you scale at all with the gumball? I don't see how?

A: The small squares on the gumball are scale handles. You can click and drag to scale in one axis, hold Shift while doing this to scale 3d and click on a handle and type a scale factor as well (1D only).

Q: Can you add your own environment in the V5 library? Like having our own library within Rhino?

A: Yes, you can create environments from the Environments panel, and save these as files to disk to make them available in any Rhino file. See also the Libraries panel.

Q: Is it possible to scale with the gumball to a specific height or length?

A: No. Only proportion can be entered by typing, not desired size. Use the traditional scaling commands with distance constraints to scale to a dimension.

Q: Patch command seems to have changed a bit in V5.

A: We would need more info to answer this question.

Q: I'm having a weird thing happen that may be related to the clipping plane ... occasionally a shaded model disappears along a moving plane when I am using the mouse ... seemingly moving away and towards me ... that must be some function I am not familiar with. I have to save the model and reopen to get it to stop ... help?

A: Not sure I understand, but please send a model and details to: tech@mcneel.com.

Q: I think when you lift control points it can look harsh, [what if] you want to elevate a point slightly?

A: Use the Gumball and set GumballDragStrength to say, 50%.

Q: What are her settings to get the updates [to a polysurface being edited using sub object selection] to happen. Or how would you disable those updates to the sub objects

A: If the object being edited is a sub object then the rest of the object updates- no history involved.

Q: On the TweenCrvs command is there a way to get it to make multiple curves based on
distance between curves rather than a set number of curves?

A: Sorry, no, only the number, evenly distributed between the inputs.

Q: Where can I find a tutorial on making complex surfaces with 5 edge curves (I've seen a car
fender tutorial somewhere??)

A: I'll need to hunt around but this might help. If you’re still interested.

Q: When using the display options, e.g. tech or chalkboard, may the resolution be set for higher dpi printing over screen resolution? Thanks

A: Use -ViewCaptureToFile, with a dash in front, like this _-ViewCapturetoFile. You'll see that you can set the resolution as needed.

Q: When using the clipping plain can the plain be made invisible to make a screen capture without seeing the plain?

A: The plane is infinite, so you can move the 'widget' out of the way, or just hide it.

Q: You mentioned easily converting meshes to NURBS - can you explain further.

A: This, as an automatic process, is only practical for relatively simple and planar-ish objects using MeshToNURBS. Otherwise, a full reverse engineering process is needed, using the mesh as a reference for new curves and surfaces. There are plug-ins that can help on the Rhino resources page - look for "reverse engineering".

Q: What are your favorite work flows for jewelry design in Rhino?

A: I always work with a caliper for measuring, and like to have my dimensions sketched out in advance. Generally, I will draw my design by hand and import that or an image that I want to work with using the PictureFrame command. Then I will start to build, using that image as a reference point. I do a lot of surfacing commands: sweeps and revolves and lofts, and a lot of reductive modeling using BooleanDifference. Filleting is part of every single piece I’ve ever created. I am always careful to create a watertight model, checking edges as I go even when I plan only to render the model, because I consider it important to build a piece that is cleanly and carefully made, no matter the final use. For more on this, check out our 3D Jewelry Design Google Hangout.

Q: Which do you prefer to use for jewelry design Rhino or Rhino Gold?

A: I prefer Rhino.

Q: Is Rhino 5 capable of 3D printing or casting machines for jewelry, and if yes how easy can it be set up in Rhino 5. Thanks

A: Rhino can export to 3D printing formats. It does require careful modeling to get good, closed, printable objects.

Q: Can the clipping plane be a curved or complex surface, i.e. not a plane?

A: No. AsuniCAD's Dynamic Display plug-in may be useful.

Q: Is there a way of changing the background in the Artistic Display mode?

A: You need to make a copy of the mode- the built-in one is hard coded.

Q: The back of a surface does not have a different color when I am in shaded mode.

A: You need to set that up in the display mode controls- it is not on by default. Go to Tools>Options>View>Display Modes, choose whichever display mode you'd like, and look
for Backface Settings.

Q: Can clipping plane also cut a cross section if wanted?

A: No, not by itself- SectionTools can help, see here.

Q: Will RhinoGold 4 work with Rhino 5?

A. I have heard that it will.

Q: Can you extract cross sections with the clipping plane?

A: Not directly, but this is possible with a script. Look here for ClippingPlaneCurves. Instructions for installing and running the scripts are at the top of the page. IntersectPlane may also be of interest.

Q: Will clipping plane work with the intersect command?

A: Not directly but a script can help: see above. Also, you can always snap to an end of the clipping plane to create a planar surface at the exact same height that can be used for Intersect.

Q: Does the clipping plane work with mesh surfaces?

A: Meshes are clipped, yes.

Q: Do we have smooth options with control points? If we move one we can influence on other
points.

A: SoftMove is the best we have for this currently.

Q: Is there a way to print with hidden lines (not as bitmap or screen grab). The Make2d option is
way too slow for very complex scenes.

A: Use the Technical display mode
 
Q: Thanks but using the print command and in vector mode doesn't show the object in technical
display mode, only as raster mode.

A: Set up a Layout with a detail in technical.

Q: Yes but how do you print not just display it ... Hidden lines can be hidden

A: You can turn off hidden lines in the technical mode. Also see the Pen mode

Q: Thanks I'll experiment using a layout

Q: Can she give the url for her site? Some people may not know.

A: To learn more about Maia's work, visit her website at Design Rhino.

 

Would you like to learn more about Jewelry Design and 3D printing? Join us for our upcoming Google Hangout on Air!

In the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas? Contact Maia directly to learn more about her classes!

Curious about our upcoming webinars? Check out the list here!

The Edge: Kelly Nedderman, Forging Community

Novedge: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Kelly Nedderman: Well, I do quite a lot of things. I am a surface/textile designer (mostly commercial work in fashion and home), artist, jewelry designer, and I teach metalsmithing at The Crucible and Academy of Art University. My work has been included in a handful of publications and I have exhibited nationally. I came to the San Francisco Bay Area over a decade ago for school and never left. For the last several years I have been self-employed and really thrive on the multitude of possibilities that it offers with regards to projects and people.

Novedge: What are some of the rewards and challenges of owning your own business?
Kelly Nedderman: Some of the best parts of owning your own business are also the most challenging parts. Schedule flexibility is a huge plus for me. It is also a huge challenge to hold yourself accountable and stay on track. The ability to choose projects is wonderful, but when you are in between things and the paychecks are not rolling in, it can also be nerve racking.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on?
Kelly Nedderman: One of my current projects is a collaboration with a local wallpaper company. The pieces will be for commercial interiors such as restaurants and hotels. While I create repeating imagery every day, this project is a bit different. The patterns will end up being 52” across with no vertical limits, so I can design something to float in the center of the wall or something that is 15 ft tall. It’s exciting.

Novedge: What software do you use?
Kelly Nedderman: In my line of work, I primarily use Photoshop, Illustrator, and Nedgraphics. Nedgraphics is a CAD program specific to textile design that facilitates the development of repeats, wovens and knits. These programs allow me to draw and develop repeating patterns ready to be printed by clients onto thousands of yards of fabric or wallpaper. I also do hand illustrated artwork for graphic t-shirts.
Recently, I took two great courses in Rhino, and am learning to model jewelry designs that would be very difficult to execute in metal, mainly because of their crazy shape and size. I have also been playing around in Hex Fiend, GIMP and Audacity and using them to “break” tiff and jpg files in interesting ways to produce new imagery for my designs.

Novedge: Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Kelly Nedderman: Just about everywhere. Magazines, blogs, photos… even just walking around, but the more offbeat the better. I have a soft spot for silhouettes, textures and magazines from the UK.

Novedge: You are the Co Director of Programs at the San Francisco Bay Area Metal Arts Guild. What is the Guild and what does it do?
Kelly Nedderman: The Metal Arts Guild of The Bay Area is a non-profit organization that focuses on promoting the recognition of metalwork as an art form and offering Bay Area jewelers and metal artists a network of information, education and support. That’s the official answer, but it is so much more than that. It’s a community, support group, and network of friends. We organize artist lectures, museum tours, exhibits and workshops all aimed at inspiring the group. We have around 250 members of all ages and backgrounds. From the student to the retiree and the hobbyist to the large business owner… The guild provides a common ground for all of those who love making and exchanging ideas.

Novedge: How important is it for professionals to be involved with their community?
Kelly Nedderman: I think it’s incredibly important. We were all beginners once. I was very lucky to be able to work with and learn from people making their living doing what their passion was. It had a huge impact on me. I try very hard to encourage students and professionals to get involved. Another great benefit of community is feedback and interaction. Our lives and creativity do not happen in a vacuum... I think people forget that even just being in an office environment is still a community. The office community is the one most people are familiar with, but we need to branch out past that. I have had some amazing brainstorming sessions with new people whom I have met at events and many of my clients have found me through word of mouth and my network. Take the time to get outside of your bubble!

Novedge: How are new technologies changing jewelry design?
Kelly Nedderman: One of the most obvious ways is that a fine jewelry store can have most of its inventory exist digitally now. They will have some great samples that customers can touch and try on, but without having so much money invested up front.
For someone who is more into the sculptural aspect of jewelry, like myself, 3D printing and laser cutting allow for an amazing level of experimentation. Forms that are extremely challenging or maybe impossible to create in metal, can be worked out with relative ease and then manufactured in a huge variety of materials. This grey area where traditional skills and new technologies meet is very exciting right now.

 

See more of Kelly's work on Flickr and don't forget to join our Rhino Jungle community, if you are a Rhino user.

 

The Edge: Electroblooming

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do.
Mark Bloomfield: I'm a designer and a maker. I've always worked with jewellery as I like the scale and the idea that I can set up and make anywhere.Traditional tools are very important to me and how they are used to connect with different materials. I strive to have the same relationship with digital tools. I established electrobloom to specifically explore digital processes to both design and make on demand.

Novedge: You have created wearable accessories for film, fashion and luxury brands including, Titanic, Vivienne Westwood, and Virgin Galactic.  What was it like? What did you like the most and what was most challenging?
Mark Bloomfield: I feel very fortunate to have worked with some really inspiring and talented people over the years and have enjoyed the challenge of applying what I do to very different industries, from film to fashion, luxury to hi-tech. It has always been jewellery but ranging from jewellery as costume to jewellery as technology. It's been particularly challenging working with traditional craftsmen and introducing them to digital processes. When I bought in a 3D printer at one company the entire model making team thought they were going to be out of work, it took a lot to convince them otherwise, but by drawing out the best in them so that their skills complemented the digital processes it strengthened our competitive edge.

Novedge: Your website, Electrobloom, is all about custom work. Are we heading towards a future in which consumers will want the option of customizing all their purchases?
Mark Bloomfield: I wanted to include a customisable component to the work which would engage the customer in the process, allowing them to participate and create pieces of jewellery unique to them. Many companies include a customisable element with some of their product lines. When showing my jewellery collection to customers they get very excited when I explain that all the components are interchangeable, they then start putting together different combinations making the jewellery their own. I also like the idea that the customers collection can be updated with a new charm rather than discarding and replacing, as your personal collection grows then so do the options. Once you start it does become very addictive! Customisation is also the main reason for using 3D Printing as the production process, I can make items to size and introducing new elements becomes cost and time effective. I believe we will be seeing more and more customisable options applied to the things we buy as the production processes become more able to handle it. It's worth remembering that most PCs and smartphones are already being customised, I'm sure that my devices are customised with software, apps, photos and covers that are very different to what you've chosen to install and use. Customisation already happens!

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on?
Mark Bloomfield: The last couple of projects have been exhibitions, the first was the Kinetica Art Fair in London which represents artists whose work moves or uses new media and encourages user interaction. I'm also exploring how to design complexity into the items of jewellery by making them move or change shape. Some of the charms have rotating elements or open up but are 3D printed in one go, no assembly required.

 
It was a great opportunity to talk about my work and show customers first hand how everything works, something that's difficult to get across on-line, I've started to use animation and will be making more films to get across the collections character. One of the interesting aspects of the jewellery collection is that I can reinvent it every time I show it and I can also tailor it according to which customer I'm selling to.
The other exhibition is in Canary Wharf in London and runs till the end of the April. I enjoyed thinking about the space and tailoring the collection accordingly. I've gone for very bright colours as this area of the city is the new financial district and I wanted to brighten up the suits!

Novedge: What software do you use?
Mark Bloomfield: I've used many pieces of software, 3D Studio, Maya, Rhino but settled on Blender in 1999 as I loved the interface. It was a challenge at first but I somehow knew it would be worth the effort. I feel confident that I can design anything with Blender and as it's continually being updated there's lots of new tricks to learn. Being able to link files is very useful as I'm often improving the designs as I go along and having all instances update is a real time saver. I tend to also link objects to paths and duplicate using modifiers, you can start to create complex forms that are very easy to edit.

I have also started to use the physics simulator as it's a real easy way to animate chains and get a feel for how they will work before being made. I want to continue to use animation to show not only how the jewellery works but to also come up with new designs, you can use the animation features in Blender as modelling tools. I'd also like to revisit the game engine with the intention of making the virtual models interactive and responsive, so much to do!

 
Novedge: What are some of the rewards and challenges of owning your own business?
Mark Bloomfield: Running your own business is very rewarding, I've always enjoyed jumping from one task to the next while attempting to use design to make the processes easier to manage. Maintaining momentum continues to be a challenge as there's always distractions which pop up daily, but in the words of Walt Disney, "Keep moving forward..."

Novedge: If you could go back in time, what would you say to your younger self before entering the workforce?
Mark Bloomfield: I feel that everything you do makes you the person you are now, the experience is important as you are then better equipped to deal with new challenges.

 

See more of Mark's work on his website and connect with him on Twitter.

And don't forget to stay in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter as well!

The Edge: Michiel Cornelissen's 3D Printed Happy Birds

Michiel Cornelissen is an independent designer who "combines work for clients with the creation of his own range of products, such as jewelry, housewares, and electronics accessories." His work has been featured in Gizmodo, Wired, Designboom, Core77 and more. And the Museum of Modern Art in New York has even bought some of his products.

 

Novedge: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do

Michiel Cornelissen: I am a designer. Sometimes I design whatever pops into my mind and seems like a good idea, sometimes I help clients with products they’re working on. Sometimes the two meet halfway.

Novedge: On your website you mention learning in school and then while working for Philips Design. Can you talk about learning in school vs. learning on the job? What advice would you give to young people who want to follow in your footsteps?

Michiel Cornelissen: My education in Industrial Design Engineering at Delft Technical University was a very general one: I know very few people from my year that are actually still in design. Some are in engineering, or are project managers, or researchers, you name it. I came away from it with a general idea of how to approach almost any problem, but with very little classical design skills. I mean, I hardly knew what a fillet was, let alone how big I should choose it in any give project. Fate somehow placed me in Philips Design, where I met all these "real" designers, from all kinds of backgrounds and often with wonderful insights in how to create and detail designs. So yes, it feels like a post-doc education to me. Something similar is happening now since entering the 3D-printing community;  a whole world is opening up to me. It’s just great to be able to keep on learning and growing in your profession.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on?

Michiel Cornelissen: The dilemma is always that there’s so much I can’t talk about yet, as much as I’d love to. Just recently a health care product I worked on was introduced in Asia, which I’m very happy with (unfortunately, I don’t have good images of that yet).

Of course the Mesh Matryoshkas were introduced in the beginning of the year and I’m really happy with Zesch too, although manufacturing it in larger quantities is a challenge.

Novedge: What software do you use?

Michiel Cornelissen: When it comes to designing, I do almost everything in Rhino. I started using it when 1.0 was still in beta, and I still haven’t found a compelling reason to switch to something else. I still think it’s a Godsend, I’m not even sure I would still be in design if it wasn’t for Rhino…  And since about a year, I’m exploring the Grasshopper plug for generative modeling in Rhino – that’s the future! Both Zesch and the Mesh Matryoshkas were almost completely defined in it. I’m not saying it’s the only way, but I might have given both projects up without Grasshopper. For rendering, I now love Keyshot – it’s just so much fun, and the results can be great. Oh – and don’t forget pen and paper! I don’t see myself scribbling on tablets anytime soon, I love the simplicity of a white sheet of paper and a nice fat Pentel sign pen.

Novedge: You have embraced 3D printing. What are some of the benefits and challenges of using this technology?

Michiel Cornelissen: One of the main benefits of 3D printing is that anyone with some modeling skills and an idea can make a product available anywhere in the world. One of the main challenges of 3D printing is that anyone with some modeling skills and an idea can make a product available anywhere in the world… What I mean is, that there is an inevitable explosion of 3D printed content in the works, and one of the difficulties will be to find the few useful, qualitative items in that outburst. Other than that, I’m still intrigued by the geometric possibilities that are opening up through 3d-printing, some of which I’ve tried to highlight in products such as Happy and Merry Bird, The ExChange collection and the Mesh Matryoshkas.

Novedge: What's in the future for you?

Michiel Cornelissen: I really enjoy working with clients, also when it has nothing to do with 3D-printing, by the way. That’s some of that stuff I can’t talk about… Just recently, I visited a manufacturing facility in Switzerland where men and women were creating beautiful items from wood and metal and other materials, in ways that haven’t changed much over 100 years. It was awe-inspiring, and it’s one of the things I sincerely hope won’t disappear with developments such as globalization and 3d-printing. Crossing my fingers that the project I’m planning with them will happen!

 

You can learn more about Michiel's work on his website. And don't forget to follow him on Twitter!

To buy Rhino and Keyshot, visit Novedge. And send us your questions and feedback in 140 characters or less at @Novedge. Grasshopper can be downloaded here.

Samantha Gratz: "My current work explores how mutated creatures would interact or inhabit the human body."

Today I have the pleasure to talk to Samantha Gratz, a graduate student and member of our Rhino Jungle community. Her jewelry design is quite unique, so I invited her to share with us a little bit more about her interests and inspiration.

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do.

Samantha Gratz: I am drawn to the wild and strange. Anything that has an unexpected form or startling color combinations excites me. My current work explores how mutated creatures would interact or inhabit the human body. This work is the thesis topic for my Master’s Degree in CAD/CAM at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.

Before moving East, I lived in the 7,200 foot altitude of Flagstaff, Arizona where I earned a BFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing at Northern Arizona University (NAU). It was at NAU where I developed my chops fabricating jewelry by hand.

Novedge: Where do you find inspiration?

Samantha Gratz: I admire the colors of the gem-encrusted pieces by Dior’s jewelry designer, Victoria de Castellenne, even though my current work does not relate to conventional jewelry. I’m also inspired by the illustrations of Dougal Dixon and Ernst Haeckel.

Technologically, I love how I can develop forms and mechanisms with ease using CAD and rapid prototyping processes. The work I’m currently producing would be a prodigious task using traditional bench techniques. With CAD software, I can quickly and easily produce tangible objects of intricate complexity.

Novedge: What is a recent project that you worked on? 

Samantha Gratz: The recent explorations of deep ocean depths and the sea creatures inhabiting those dark, deep seas set me on a path to create my own denizens of the deep. For example:

This Snail project was designed to envelope the ear. The challenge was to first consider size and shape and then determine where the piece best fits on the body. I printed the shell portion of the snail in Durus White then dyed it. I chose Durus White for its durability and translucent nature. The back of the shell has an opening that slides over the ear. The soft body of the snail is printed in the flexible material of Tango Plus in order to mimic the actual feeling of a snail touching the face.

The piece entitled Tremor is a companion bracelet for the Shell earpiece. This bracelet is a conglomeration of deep sea creature forms and coral reef plant life. The head and body portions are printed in Durus White because I wanted translucent material to be present in both pieces. It’s also easy to dye.

Novedge: What software do you use?

Samantha Gratz: I use Rhinoceros to model objects, then switch over to ZBrush to texturize them. Rhinoceros and Zbrush provide design aesthetics I need through modeling commands. Rhinoceros is also the industry standard.

Novedge: What innovations do you see in your field?

Samantha Gratz: New design features in CAD and rapid prototyping married to the rising popularity of generative modeling and multi material printing are exciting in of themselves. But when these technologies are used with Objet’s Connex printers, the results are akin to the emulators in science fiction. I envision the Connex printer becoming more popular and opening up a range of potential material capabilities that will jump-start many ingenious projects.

 

Do you want to see more of Samantha's work? Take a look at her website and at her profile page on Rhino Jungle.

Do you love Rhino? Join Rhino Jungle to connect and share your work.

 

Novedge Clayoo Webinar: Q&A with Rafael Del Molino

Our 61st webinar on Clayoo was so engaging, we simply ran out of time during the Q&A. Rafael Del Molino of TDM Solutions agreed to answer what he didn't get to reply to last month.

Q: Assume that I have a model already created in Clayoo and then the engineering group has a change in just part of the profile. If they send me a curve that represents a change of just part of the surface of my completed model will Clayoo allow surfaces to snap to the newly supplied curve? 

Rafael Del Molino: Yes we can adjust the model using the match to curve tool to do it

Q: Once the ring was done and converted into NURBS was it possible to work inside the finger area and build a nice bump into it? Called comfort fit.

Rafael Del Molino: Yes it is possible to do everything after converting the model to NURBS, it will be a Rhino object and all the Rhino tools can be used as well.

Q: No Mac version planned yet?

Rafael Del Molino: As soon as Rhino has a Mac version, Clayoo will have one too.

Q: Do I have to convert in NURBS to export as an STL?

Rafael Del Molino: No, we can export to STL directly from a Clayoo mesh.

Q: Is it possible here to split straight?

Rafael Del Molino: This functionality is in our to do list for the next version but now you can adjust the faces subdivisions to divide them as you want with the extract command, so we can say yes.

Q: Dimension wise can we increment motions in 1 direction? Let's say I wanted to set a thickness for this spoon, is there an easy way to enter a value?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes we can define a value for the thickness using the shell tool for example.

Q: Free support? For life?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, even before you buy it.

Q: This looks very similar to T-splines - is it ? What are the differences?

Rafael Del Molino: We don’t compare Clayoo with any product.

Q: Can you import a mesh into Clayoo?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, using the tool create by mesh you can do it. Or you can use retopology command to create a Clayoo surface from your mesh with the desired topology.

Q: Is Clayoo scriptable with Python?

Rafael Del Molino: We are wide open to give that option to our users, but which functionalities do you want to use in Python?

Q: Will there be any Grasshopper add-on related to Clayoo in the near future?

Rafael Del Molino: We are wide open to building Grasshopper Clayoo components. Which functionalities do you want to use within Grasshopper?

Q: Clayoo to Rhino works fine. What about Rhino srf to Clayoo srf?

Rafael Del Molino: We can use the create by surface tool to do it but if we need details or to define the subdivisions we can use the retopology tool.

Q: How accurate is shelling or offset? Is it good enough for manufacturing?

Rafael Del Molino: It depends what sector are we talking about but, if we need more accuracy, we can use the Rhino tools to do it.

Q: Can we choose lines that will be bordered to NURBS surfaces?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, after converting the Clayoo model to NURBS.

Q: Are you using keyboard numbers to change the # of faces?

Rafael Del Molino: No, we change them in the command parameters.

Q: Can you change a NURBS surface to a Clayoo Object?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, we can use the create by surface tool to do it but if we need detail or to define the subdivisions we can use the retopology tool.

Q: Can the control points of a Clayoo object snap to, say, the endpoint of a line?

Rafael Del Molino: No, but it will be added to the next version.

Q: When he selected a face I didn't see where you can type in numerical values to move the face, edge or point specific distances. Same with scale and rotate.

Rafael Del Molino: For the moment is not possible but that will be added on the next version.

Q: Any ability to snap selections to curves, faces, edges?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, We can snap the selection with the selection mode.

Q: Does Clayoo have symmetry?

Rafael Del Molino: At the moment we can use the mirror from rhino with the record history activated to do symmetry, but we are working in other options.

Q: Is it possible to view in Zebra?

Rafael Del Molino: Yes, all the surface analyses tools can be used.     

 

Find out about upcoming webinars with Novedge here.

 

Interview with Dario Scapitta: Jewelry Design and 3D Printing

The moment we saw Dario Scapitta's work online, we fell in love with his designs. What really caught our attention, though, is his use of 3D printing technology to manufacture jewelry. We asked him to share a bit about his work and inspiration.  

Novedge: Tell us about yourself and what you do.

Dario Scapitta: I was born in Valenza (Italy) a capital of the Italian jewellery business. Since a young age, I heard about jewelry design, my parents and my brother were all working in the business. I studied jewellery design in high school, then received a degree in set and costume design at the Academy of Fine Art of Brera in Milan. My passion was always jewelry design, though, so that entire time I worked in the field. I started experimenting with 3D CAD more than 10 years ago and I was hooked. In 2005 I came back to Valenza, where I joined a 3D CAD and prototyping studio that specialized in the jewellery sector: it was there that I discovered the truly amazing power of 3D printing technology.

Two years ago I decided to move to The Netherlands. New country, new culture, new experiences. I had a desire to change, find new inspiration. I started to work on new personal ideas and finally, on my birthday, Dario Scapitta Design was born! Running my own company means I can be very independent. I put my energy and all I have learned in creating original collections, designing different objects that people would like to wear. Jewelry design for me is not only diamonds and gold, but also different materials, which is why 3D printing technology is so perfect for my work, it allows me to experiment and play with colors and shapes while focusing on designing something beautiful.

Novedge: Where do you find inspiration?

 Dario Scapitta: I find inspiration in nature, fashion, the arts, architecture and everything that surrounds me. Every day I can find something different that amazes me and that can be transformed in a piece of jewelry. Research and curiosity are very important for a designer, especially when involved with fashion. I have an artistic background and I have learned a lot from the past, from Giotto to Leonardo da Vinci, from Michelangelo to Picasso. Today I am also influenced by the media. And as an Italian I love our big fashion designers, especially Giorgio Armani, with his pure and elegant style.

Novedge: What is a recent project you worked on? 

Dario Scapitta: At the moment I am focusing on promoting my work and my collections. In June 2011 my STONE necklace won Second Place in the   3D Printed Jewelry Contest by i.materialise. This meant a lot to me, as I pushed myself out of my comfort zone with this project. 

Another great opportunity was another i.materialise contest, the Hats off to 3D Printing Design Challenge where my BUTTERFLY hat was selected as runner-up and showed for the first time in the fashion show during the Materialise World Conference in Leuven, Belgium.

This was an amazing experience, where I met other great designers that are using 3d printing to create wonderful pieces of art, like Eric van Straaten and Mark Bloomfield.

My collections are often inspired by nature, like my BLACK ROSE collection. I wanted to design a pure and simple rose silhouette that would look like a drawing on the skin.

My SPARKLING collection is inspired by the sparkling bubbles of Prosecco wine.

And the SNAKE collection is a modern jewellery set, a simple and contemporary design easy to wear with different outfits.

All these collections are made using polyamide (sintered nylon) and 3D printing technology. I love polyamide because it is flexible and strong and it has a texture that resembles organic material. These collections are printed by SHAPEWAYS, and it's thanks to their great technological and advanced support that I can do this type of work.

I also use other materials, like silver for my PEPITA collection. These pieces are 3D printed in wax and then produced through the lost wax casting procedure. This collection is produced by i.materialise.

I'm also working on new designs and projects:I would like to mix different materials together, like stainless steel or silver with polyamide. 3D printing technology is evolving so fast, the only limit is our imagination.

Novedge: What software do you use? Tell us why.

Dario Scapitta: I use Rhinoceros. It is very good software, not very expensive, and easy to use. You can model starting from curves and surfaces and using different plug-ins. I find its tools especially ideal for jewelry design. Also, when combined with T-Splines, Rhinoceros is perfect for modeling free forms. You can export files in xtl format which is perfect for 3D printing. For me, this has been the best solution.

Novedge: What innovations do you see in your field, now or in the future?

Dario Scapitta: 3D printing technology has been used in the jewellery field for almost 10 years. It has really improved, and the most important 3D companies are testing new materials every day. It would be great to be able to print linked metal objects, like a link of chains. I'd love to see that, and it's only a matter of time, as this technology is improving so fast.

I'm using 3D printing not only to show how many complex forms I can design, but as a new tool to realize my ideas. It's a perfect solution to test a new design, and to test materials and how an object feels on the body. I can't wait for more and more materials to become available, it will be fun to come up with new designs to use them.

To read more about Dario and his work, visit his website at Dario Scapitta Design.

 

An Interview with Giuseppe Massoni, Jewelry Designer and Rhino 3D Guru

Giuseppe Massoni is a jewelry designer and a Rhino 3D guru. He is a Tech Support Specialist as well as a Rhino Training Specialist for Robert McNeel & Associates (McNeel Europe), and is also in charge for the Italian Rhino Newsgroup. Giuseppe is a well-known and highly respected member of the Rhino community. He is also the author of "Modeling and Mold making for Jewelry Designers," a popular training CD published by Robert McNeel & Associates.
The recent release of Rhino 4.0 is consolidating the success of Rhino in the jewelry design industry.  Giuseppe Massoni is the right person to help us understand the reason behind the success of Rhino 3D and the evolution of jewelry design from its ancient traditions. Here is the interview:

Giuseppe, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your professional activities?

Jewelry is a family business since 1790

47 years old, Industrial Designer with Jewelry as part of my DNA. Jewelry is a family business since 1790, so I guess there must be something genetic by now. I have been behind Design & Production since 1982. By the end of the eighties I started investigating if CG could be integrated in the jewelry design and production work flow at some point. It was the Amiga time. Few years later the scenario was more inviting with more productive software and finally I got involved with Rhinoceros. That was the turning point.
Aside from my activity within the McNeel family, jewelry design takes a large part of my work but I also freelance Industrial Design in other areas. Packaging and display material mostly.

Many of us still have this image of a jewelry designer as a traditional, old fashioned job, even though the reality is quite different. Coming from a family with a long history in the jewelry business, you have been part of this transformation. Can you share with us your experience?
Yes, transformation is the right term. But in reality it's been much less aggressive than one would expect. CG, rapid prototyping are just tools and they come in only at given stages of jewelry design/production. Basically the new tools will help up to a prototype. From this point on is all traditional work.
In a way modern casting and laser welding have impact the work flow more radically but with less glamor. As for all innovations you need to proof that they are a real, tangible advantage and honestly when you are experimenting them they are not. I asked my Company to invest in research and letting me try to integrate technologies not traditionally belonging to jewelry. I am happy they let me try. I think now everybody is happy about it. By 1995 we had a full CAD/CAM integrated work-flow for our production. Of course not everything needs to be computer designed. I try to use the right tool for a given task.

You are well-known as one of the most advanced Rhino users. What are the professional benefits for users interested in further training in Rhino?
As an Industrial Designer the benefit of being a skilled user of Rhino is that you have better chances to communicate with your partners. Rhino is sometimes used as data interchange platform, this is to say that if you can model professionally in Rhino almost everyone will be able to see your work and use it.
In jewelry design Rhino is becoming a standard. This is a fact.

The Rhino community is thriving and probably the best marketing tool for the all of the Robert McNeel & Associates products. As an active and prominent member of this community, what has been your experience? Do you believe the same model can be applied successfully to other types of businesses?
This is very interesting. I am not sure if the community is a marketing tool but it's out of the question that customer satisfaction is at the first place. The community it's rather a consequence of this. In this sense doing Tech Support is a fantastic experience. Being at the front end of a Company known for it's support is truly rewarding. A unique opportunity to learn from people doing the most incredible things with the software.
We have a very successful Newsgroup. The Italian one is the second most important after the English one. I am very proud of this because my goal, when we started splitting Newsgroups into language ones was to keep rolling the same enthusiasm and overall attitude between users that the original Newsgroup had. I have seen several cases of help needed where supposed competitors helped each other. I don't think it's a question of types of business, I would say it's a way of how you see the idea of business.

Rhino is seldom used as the only software product in a design and manufacturing process. What are the most common combinations seen and what are the benefits in combining Rhino with other software tools for the end-user?
The biggest advantage of having software combinations or plug-ins is that you can take the best from each part. There has been a great interest in the Rendering area and now Rhino can work in combination with the most advanced rendering engines. CAM is another big sector.
It is really amazing, even looking at this from the "inside", to see the number of new plug-ins coming out in the most different areas.

How do you combine the artistic talent of a jewelry designer with the technical talent of a Rhino trainer and expert?

if you can't sketch it on a piece of paper you wont be able to model it

Happily having fun.
I start from hand sketches, which usually come after preparatory work (books, research..study) then more hand sketches... and finally I start to model. When I teach Rhino I always say that the program con not do what the user is unable to see. In other words: if you can not sketch it on a piece of paper chances are you wont be able to model it. The artistic talent is what makes someone handle gracefully the curvature of a curve, as an example. Doing this with technological tools on the monitor just makes it more easy. A talented designer can do this on the sand with a stick just as well. One of the best advantages of Rhino is that it really asks for a minimal technical talent leaving you concentrate on the artistic part. There is one circumstance when I only use the software, no preliminary sketching. It's like "Rhino Design Aerobics". After all this is a fantastic tool to help investigate 3D space, so I sort of wonder into it ,experimenting modeling strategies with no final object fixed in my mind. I find it very relaxing and sometimes the result would be very hard to imagine before. It's like workout... but more fun.

Jewelry design is a well established tradition in some European countries like Italy and Spain. How is the European jewelry tradition different from the American one?
Jewelry is a big tradition in Italy. Design is pretty much in the same direction. I think that the majority of the production is focused on a certain degree of innovation in terms of design.
In the States there is a well established amount of "classic" jewelry or, on the opposite side, some very design oriented one. The "in between" is what you would most likely find in Italian production.

I would like to thank Giuseppe Massoni for taking the time to speak with me today. If you have any questions for Giuseppe or for Novedge, please leave a comment below and we will be glad to answer.

Franco Folini