I’m new in this forum. I’m investigating if Rhino (+Grasshopper) is something I should buy.
I have a new project that probably could benefit from it. But It needs a lot of fillet operations. And I heard from a Rhino user that this feature is not so good in Rhino/Grasshopper 8 and should be much much better in Rhino 9.
So should I wait for 9?
I would like to try the evaluation version. But that is version 8. Do I have access to the WIP version while using the evaluation version?
I would like to try out if the fillets operation in 9 are good enough for my next project so that I can make a good choice to start with Rhino/Grasshopper or not.
And when is version 9 expected?
Will I have access to version 9 when buying version 8 now?
Will the upgrade price depend on the time to the new version?
If I buy 8 now and version 9 comes out in a week or so, for which I have to pay the full upgrade price, I would file a bit misleaded. Or at least very dissapointed.
Your question is really generic like the answer: “Rhino isn’t good at fillet”.
I normally don’t have big trouble with fillet by applying the correct methodology of modelling. Building organic shapes doesn’t requires too much rolling ball fillets.
You’re also asking if worth to buy Rhino to complete the job… What’s your other option?
Solidworks cost 4/6 time more and Plasticity cost less, works smoothly… But doesn’t has any drawing capabilities.
Well, I’m thinking about testing with the evaluation version. And there is the holiday season. So I will be ready for buying around September or so. I would feel stupid when version 9 is released in Oktober. I’m not complaining about the price of Rhino. I just don’t want to spend hundreds of euros while getting almost nothing for it. I assume the upgrade is about 500 euro and I will only get one month of Rhino for it.
A friend of my was at the Rhino developer day (or something like that) and he was told that fillets are not very good in Rhino 8 and that there is a complete redesign of fillets in Rhino 9 to make it how it should be (according the developers).
I have very bad experience with fillets in other CAD packages. So I’m a bit cautious about this.
G1 arc fillets with FilletSrf work very well Rhino 8 when your surfaces are properly set up for filleting. See also this script by @jim that automates much of it. Always go from larger to smaller fillets. It’s the business.
give more details on this “new project” to profit from better answers.
fillets in rhino can be treated as surfaces (_filletSrf) (A) or (B) as rounding edges of connected surfaces (_filletEdge).
Accessing the same functionality from Grasshopper mit be a bit tricky…depending on our “new project”.
what s your background, your cad experience ?
GH Fillets work on Nurbs only.
Managing it through grasshopper could be challenging especially if you don’t have enough GH experience.
Don’t think at GH like a Solidworks substitute they’re two different things.
Again if you like to tell us more we can help you better.
I want to design a spherical speaker box. With internal tree-shaped ribs against the inner wall for maximum stiffness and a central peace that brakes standing waves. The center piece probably with some gyroid structure or other structure to scatter the sound waves. I want to experiment with that.
Everything should be 3D printed. So lots of fillets to create smooth shapes.
I have lots of experience with CAD programs like Inventor and FreeCAD. I’m considering Rhino mainly because of Grasshopper. I want to design parametric and I like the freedom of creation.
Yes, I’m thinking about the 90 day trail. But the upgrade rules of Rhino are holding me back. As I mentioned above, when starting evaluating now, I will be ready for buying Rhino around September. But Rhino 9 will be released by the end of the year and I will have to pay another 500 euros or so.
I learned from a marketing friend that your pricing strategy should always be such so that people are stimulated to buy. The pricing strategy of Rhino makes me wait. I think that is a bad strategy.
I know Grasshopper is completely different from Solidworks and alikes. I know it may be difficult at first, but I also know it will give me an enormous amount of possibilities.
I’m willing to learn
I already wrote a bit of what I want to create in a previous answer. But I think I will make a new topic for that.
I see it now. Nice project, super interesting!
If I can suggest a strategy I may look at implicit surface (isopod, dendro, axolotl) it would give you a super smooth shape, fully parametrical, and quite simple to set-up. Perfect if you then 3D print it.
Adjacent surfaces must be G1 continuous. Smaller fillets must run over larger fillets. When a new fillet meets a prior fillet of the same size, manual work is needed. Look at some of Jim’s filleting posts made over the years.
That said, without knowing what kind of products you intend to NURBS surface model in Rhino, one cannot say anything more. I very much doubt you can noodle a product’s filleting process with GH.
I would wait for ver 9 if you are not in a hurry evaluation is 90 days about 3 months is plenty to do something with
And ver 8 and 9 is not all that super different sure some improvements and new stuff but it’s basically the same
Let’s say ver 9 is the windows 10 equivalent.
It all depends on the user and how you do the fillets in the end all cad have their strengths and weaknesses just pick the package that suits you and your needs.
