I’d like to know if it’s possible to model low poly objects for 3D printing directly in Rhino. I’m aware of the ReduceMesh command, but in this case, I want the model to closely resemble the reference image — so I need control over the triangulation of the geometry.
I’m used to architectural modeling, so this kind of work is new to me. I’m looking for tips and suggestions: what are the best methods for this purpose?
I’ve seen some people mention low poly modeling using SubD. Is that a good option, or would it be better to work directly with meshes?
Attached is the image of what I’m trying to model.
that definitely looks like a mesh, you can convert that later to subd if you want it smooth, but subd means that it will not be edgy so that is probably not at all what you need here.
i would build it in two three steps, first lay out the points and elevate them in a few layers, then use a polyline/line to connect all the points, mirror it then explode all the poly (not sure if it takes poly bot i exploded the lines first) after that use MeshFromLines.
you can of course also just leave it flat and elevate the vertices later.
Hi @encephalon, thank you so much for the step-by-step explanation!
I really appreciated the clarity — it helped me understand the process, and I’ll definitely apply it to my modeling.
If anyone has any other suggestions, I’d be happy to try them as well — whether it’s a different modeling approach or something using Grasshopper.
if you want to use grasshoper you should use a grasshopper tag at the top, people with more experience there will find their way in then much rather. though that might not make it much easier i suspect you still would need to hand place the vertices. you can also use ilustrator set to line graphics to find the edges and try to start there, but that would be more work in total till you find the right setting, then cleaning it up then bringing it to rhino and elevate them.
@Gustavo_Soares_Silva I’d try an all-triangle model first. Then start pulling points in Flat-Shade mode. You can always later on remove some edges to turn things back into quad or more.
I’d like to create a chin for this character — how can I “carve” into the existing mesh to form that shape? I made it using SplitMeshEdge and then moving, but I’m wondering if there’s a better tool to make it.
How can I select and edit the edges that were created when I moved control points on faces with more than three edges? (I followed your tip to use triangles, then removed the extra edges to go back to quads.) And how can I create edges at existing faces of a mesh between two points?
@Gustavo_Soares_Silva does this help? Not sure if this is the best way to go at it, there are many, but this is fairly quick:
As for nr 2, if there is no edge to select in case of quads or n-gons, simply add the edge with the insert point tool I am using at the beginning of the video, snapping to existing mesh verts.
In my current model, I had already moved the mesh points along the Y-axis to give volume to the object. So when I tried to follow the steps you described, it didn’t work.
It seems that the workflow using InsertPoints + MergeFaces + Stitch only works when the mesh is initially flat. I documented everything in the attached file in case you’d like to test it.
First, I tried using my existing geometry — Rhino crashed.
Then I used Gumball Scale to 0 in the Y-axis to flatten the mesh again — Rhino still crashed.
That left me wondering a few things:
What are the differences between the mesh you used and the one I flattened with Gumball Scale to 0? Both show as “open mesh” and appear to be flat.
Is there a way to apply the same process to a mesh that is no longer flat?
I understand that in this specific case I could start over, since the model is simple and quick to redo. But in more complex situations, that would be a real challenge.
Sorry for asking so many questions — working directly with meshes in Rhino is still new to me, and I haven’t found many tutorials on the subject.
Thanks for your patience!
