I’m often needing to make a circle just a bit bigger than one that’s already there. etc. You know.
Is there a way to grab the dimension then type in the additional increment I want? Like first click gets the dimension, second click adds the circle, and if numbers are entered it adds them to the initially captured dimension?
No.
Rhino is not a parametric modeler driven by changing dimensions.
However, there is a ModifyRadius command that works on Circles and Arcs.
I don’t want it to change parametrically.
I just want tools to grab a dimension on initial creation, grab a dimension then type in the additional increment I want.
Like a two click solution…make a circle, first click grabs the reference dimension, then I can type in an increment, second click makes the circle equal to initial dimension (click one) plus the entered increment. over and done. No parametric changing or history.
Have a look at the ModifyRadius command please.
That is the closest thing Rhino has to your request.
Ill have a look…is there a similar tool for lines or rectangles?
This is like the main thing missing from Rhino for me. It would be great if all tools had it. Like for line, (vertical, four point, reference + increment).
Note inside the ModifyRadius command, at the prompt for the new radius, you can type in ‘radius’ + Enter to launch the nestable Radius command - you can then select any curve and use the radius for the circle.
A macro will simplfy the process:
! _ModifyRadius _Pause _Radius
-Pascal
Is it possible to make the described approach a feature request?
It really would be nice to have in many tools. It would turn many 6-12 click processes in to 2 click processes.
Hello- does the macro not do what you need?
-Pascal
It changes an existing circle, no? I would like to make a new circle.
But also, a reference dimension+ increment approach would be helpful for many tools. I feel as though this is a fundamental concept missing from rhino. I need something like this all the time.
A liitle more coomplex but it should work, for now
‘! _Circle _Pause _Pause _SelLast _ModifyRadius _Pause _Radius’
To match an existing … right now a script would be need to do what you are asking… I’ll have a look.
-Pascal
Thank you, ill try that out.
But what do you think about a non-parametric reference dimension+ increment function? Or even just a tool that captures a dimension and copies it to the text paste buffer? so it can be pasted in any tools dialogue?
@Pibby - see if this does anything you like -
CirclePlus.py (2.6 KB)
To use the Python script use RunPythonScript, or a macro:
_-RunPythonScript "Full path to py file inside double-quotes"
-Pascal
Offset will make a new circle a specified dimension larger or smaller than the original…
Hey, just saw this…Ill give it a go and let you know.
Thank you!
You need to include the file name in your path…
Thanks!
Yes, it works well for circles. Its similar to offset but gives the initial dimension.
But something like this for the move tool, square tool and other common tools would be a real benefit in Rhino.
The circle is just an example.
The concept of a reference point + an increment is something I often wish was present in many tools.
Well, I’m not sure what you’re asking for other than that the original “length” is reported in some commands…
Some things to keep in mind when working in Rhino:
Rhino objects are not parametric. They do not have any data stored on them that tells you how they were made nor any dimensions that can be parametrically changed. They also do not have a “center” or “pivot” point assigned to them, tools like Gumball or BoxEdit calculate object “centers” on the fly using the objects’ bounding box.
Rhino objects also do not generally have knowledge of what specific sub-type of object they are - for example there is not a “square” or “rectangle” entity, they are both just closed planar polylines with specific sets of conditions which were established when they were made - i.e. for a square 4 equal sides and 90° corners, etc. Those conditions are then “forgotten” as soon as the object is created, in Properties all you see is that the object is a closed polyline that has four points.
Of course there are some more sharply defined objects such as circles and arcs because their type of geometry requires it, the radius and center properties for example being inherent to their definition.
There are certainly areas where Rhino could give you more info under specific circumstances, for example Extend (curve) could show you the original length of the curve for reference in addition to the last used extension value on the command line; Move could show you the last used distance/direction information with the possibility to re-use them. Gumball already does this to some extent, but unfortunately, only the move distance or scale factor is remembered, not the axis used.
