"object is not solid" in Metals analysis tool: why?

Hi all,

I run the bad object tool to check but nothing comes up, so why is the metals analyzer telling me that the object is not solid?

Thanks for your help

not solid.3dm (4.1 MB)

Hi Alan- use ShowEdges to check for naked edges- you have a couple there.

-Pascal

I thank you, and I am depressed

I’m sorry to hear that… here’s how to fix things- ExtractSrf the two surfaces that have a naked at the seams. Hide the rest. DupBorder on one and then UntrimBorder. MakePeriodic the resulting surface, then Split the surface again with the border curves and delete all but the big piece.

However- the cylindrcal shape is a very-too-complicated surface - why are you not using a simple, and exact, Cylinder there in the first place? That’s the depressing bit!

-Pascal

Thanks a lot for the repair how-to Pascal, but as you say it’s best to avoid this during modelling.
I don’t know how I could get a similar result using a cylinder, but if it’s faster than filleting all the edges then I have to know how it’s done. Is there a tutorial somewhere that I could watch?

Hi again,

On this file here the Analyse - Metals isn’t working, is indicates 0 weight.
Any idea why this is happening? (I checked the edges)
Metal Analyse not working.3dm (3.8 MB)

Thanks in advance

Rhino Gold ( not sure if that is what you are using?) will fail to return a weight on geometry that has issues.

_What shows your object as a valid closed solid but if you convert it to a mesh it results in a bad mesh….this to me is a sign that your object still has issues.

If you run _MeshRepair to fix the non manifold edges…….

…then reassign a metal and analyse weights it will give you a weight.

You need to make cleaner geometry to avoid these types of problems IMO. Maybe you should post more of your workflow from start to finish to help others give advice on how to do it better.

My guess is that you cut the letters out of a flat solid, filleted the edges and then used flow to create the ring? Some of your problems might have started right at the beginning with the text curves….especially if you used a system font to create them.

HTH.

There are several places where the original walls are completely eaten up by the fillets and where the edges of the remaining walls are crossing over each other. The fillets are too big in other words.

In this picture, one such instance is indicated by the two points and another one is visible to the bottom of the image.

Thanks a lot
So I guess I should always leave a minimum space between the edges. In this case the thickness was 1.2mm and in the cases mentioned I used a 4mm fillet on one side and 8mm on the other, so all the space was used which I imagine caused the issue.
I had Showedges turned on and it didn’t show anything, so I thought it was ok…

@Sochi yes my workflow is a nightmare… But I don’t know how to do it otherwise.
I make the letters and the contour in Illustrator, and I round all the sharp corners
I import in Rhino, rebuild all the inside curves, extrude.
Then I fillet all the edges, and finally flow.
It’s time consuming and frustrating, I wish I could find a better -and quicker - way to do this

Thanks a lot

@rhino22

Alan a really good example of what @wim is referring to is in the underside of the first model you posted.

You can see that the fillets overlap giving you naked edges.

If you make sure that the radii of your fillets are not greater than the surface available you should avoid this. I do not own or use 3dCoat but I have heard of others that use it to soften edges rather than fillet. Might be worth a look.

I find applying fillets to edges works better before _Flow which you are already doing.

Other than that your workflow should be fine. Others might have better suggestions. Have fun.

@rhino22

Alan I was reluctant to suggest this as I work really quickly in Clayoo and I know others that find it really painful…… but if I really want soft edges I work in Clayoo which is free with RhinoGold. T-Splines is pretty much the same thing but better.

Create the curves then a plane in Clayoo/T-Splines to match them.

Shell the plane until you get the desired depth. Add in sections on your Z and position until you get the edge you want on the top and bottom.

Add in sections on your Z and position until you get the edge you want on the top and bottom.


Convert to Nurbs (keep the original) and then flow to your finger.

Bit of learning on how to join things up and when to use the different edition modes but pretty liberating once you get it. Also much easier to go back in and edit your Clayoo/T-Splines model on the flat and reflow than edit curves, extrude and fillet again IMO.

HTH

Thanks Sochin
yes I absolutely need to learn that in Clayoo