hi…easy question probably… but running through level 1 training, and doing pretty well except everytime I try to create a solid from a curve shape (extrude curve/in solid menu) it always ends up as a surface o a hollow 3d shape… this keeps happening …what am I doing wrong please?
Probably your curve is either open or non-planar, either or both of which would prevent the solid from capping…
–Mitch
while executing the command you have the option solid, otherwise it creates a surface only.
I have tried to hightlight all and ‘join’… but it doesnt seem to work for some reason… so instead I highlighted and ‘grouped’ … its all planar so not sure why… perhaps i can upload the model somehow
CAM.3dm (3.1 MB)
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Your outer curves are grouped together. They should be joined into a single curve instead. Join and Group are fundamentally different. Join creates a single object from multiple objects. Group just tells Rhino to select the entire group when any member of the group is selected. Ungroup the curves before proceeding.
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The outer curves have several problems which prevent them from being joined into a single curve. Several segments overlap. Also the ends of some segments extend past the end of other segments. You need to clean up those problems, then join the curves together into a single outer curve.
@Ashley_Dell maybe also check that your object snaps are enabled, then such disconnected curves do not happen so fast. keep end at least checked at most of the times. also if you use near as an object snap this can also misguide you quickly. check the tooltips if end is being displayed and not near.
Oh wow… close ups show all that mess…
I did another excersise and the same thing has happened…
I just cant close the curves.
I have checked closeup and there is nothing ‘unclean’ there. I also have had all my osnaps on…
surely I should be able to just highlight all and ‘join’…
I also have got a bit confused on the geometary of the ‘left shoulder’ point as instructions didn’t give much information except a radius on 0.5. ( no start or end point for the arc ) so i just guessed. This has left a small ugly indentation.
This is not so important though, I just really want to create a solid…! 
LINK2.3dm (3.5 MB)
sorry to say so but you made quite a mess up with your curves 
you can save if with CurveBoolean though, just remove all the surfaces and leave the curves on the screen, select them use CurveBoolean and click inside of the curves it will create a temporary surface which will be outlined giving you something to extrude solid.
here you go LINK2.3dm (2.8 MB)
Hi… thankyou for all your time! Do you mean in relation to LINK2.3dm?..
I didnt realise it wsa quite such a mess… Is it that bad? 
I like to learn as much as possible then neaten up later… so tell me please, why would I save it with boolean?.. and why remove the surfaces? do you mean to start all over again?..Im not sure the objectives of this…
Also, how do you click an ‘inside’ of a curve? they have no dimensional measurement so there is not really an inside or outside until they become a 3d object?..
yes that meant to start all over again. and the best would be to recreate those curves from scratch, the surfaces they create lead to some issues even with that little trick i pointed out.
regarding CurveBoolean just select the curves on the bottom and use that command it will tell you to click into an area, like a bucket you paint inside o drawing application. this will merge the overlapping curves you created together.
what actually led to your problem is that you joined duplicate and partial duplicates together. you can explode all the curves then use SelDup it will show you one duplicate curve but the other one you have to find manually since its only a partial duplicate.
here you see the 2 curves which caused the problem.
and here some more you created overlapping curves.
you can select one of the curves and trim the rest off.
see to it that that curves always hit each other at the end points.
oh and here one more
You need to back up and learn to create accurate, clean curves. There are ways to salvage what you have, but creating geometry with problems and then cleaning it up is not a good strategy. Invest the time now in learning or spend much more time later cleaning up, again and again and again. Back up and go through the Level 1 tutorials again.
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So how do I make ends meet then?.. I had osnaps on already and thought that lined it up…
should I do everything zoomed in perhaps?
Ill try this model a third time. You have any idea about the geometary of the arc on that 'shoulder on the left? there is no start or end point of any lines… hard to make sense of it…
yes zoom in from time to time, rhino is a very precise tool. but that also means that it needs precision from you. you will get into it step by step.
i agree with david, but since i know that you are complete beginner its ok i think. helping through cleaning up is also learning about the software so i think its not so bad. usually people come here not to learn a software but to discuss rather advanced problems of course.
but you always find somebody who is bored and who will help i am sure 
i am not sure what you mean that there are no end points, but you can explode the curves fully which will enable you to select each segment.
Im sure there are bored people out there willing to help me. One day, you never know, I might be able to help them back.
Anyway… thanks for your time one this.
I cant see where i have said there are ‘no end points’?.where is this? ?. doesnt make sense…
So, I have started again on this model… it is a basic excersise with limited instructions… ill attach it again half finsished… please tell me what exactly is jumping out to the world of advanced users that I am doing so wrong! please…
LINKATTEMPT3.3dm (3.3 MB)
LINKATTEMPT3.3dm (3.5 MB)
mwahahahahahahahaha!!! maniacal glee.
thanks for you help.
speak soon
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The Fillet command will be your friend in this case, as you won’t need to know the start and end point of the arc, you only need to know the radius, which you have.
Your rebuild model is looking good to me. Just draw the top line, trim, and fillet and you are there. It has also been suggested to you to zoom in to inspect curve quality, but I feel Rhino has other tools which give you more reliable information. When you want to double check how two curves are meeting, you can use GCon. If the ends are not touching, it will report Curve ends are out of tolerance, if they are touching, but making some angle (like a corner, or a fillet that isn’t placed correctly as in your first attempt) it will report G0, something like a fillet will report G1, and smoother transitions will be reported as G2. You can read more about that here.
Another tool to figure out where you have a problem with a curve that doesn’t want to close is CrvStart and CrvEnd, which will place a point at the start or end of a curve.
Sam