Cut smooth grooves into a surface

Rhino Rhino for Windows
1

What is the best way to create smooth grooves or channels on a surface, such as those between the pave sections in this ring? My current approach is to create curves on the surface and then variable pipe and boolean them, but the filleting of the edges makes things tricky. Any suggestions would be most welcome

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2

Hello - try this:

  • Make the two edges of the grooves, trim the surface.
  • Loft between the edges (using rebuild, probably, to a fair number of points in the Loft control to keep things even. Set Tangency both at Start and End as well.
  • ChangeDegree to 5 in the U direction on the loft.
  • Turn on the points (F10) and select the middle two rows.
  • MoveUVN or otherwise manipulate the center two rows ‘inward’ to depress these points.

image
image768×645 152 KB

Another way would be to make a curve as the bottom of the groove and loft through that as well.

-Pascal