Flip Fluids is commercial ($76) liquid animation plugin for Blender, which is free. details: FLIP Fluids - Blender Market
video:
I think so too!
Speaking of good CAD programs, I just had to post this somewhere:
NX, the decades old, super expensive CAD monster thatâs only rivalled by Catia in complexity, cannot snap to the midpoint of a spline, even in the new sketcher they so proudly introduced in this yearâs version. 
Seems Iâm going to be able to log an âenhancement requestâ for this feature though, so letâs see what 100x the cost of Rhino (per year) will get you in waiting times for features to be added (since it seems the average in Rhino is about 5 years or more).
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Thereâs often a difference between âenhancement requestsâ and added âfeaturesâ - a difference that can be orders of magnitude depending on the request and the featureâŚ
There are quite a number of enhancement requests that are added âalmost instantlyâ - weâre talking about one or two service release or WIP development cycles following the request, so a week to a month. Of course, the more involved stuff takes much more time - like development of Sub-D, which is closer to the five years you mentioned - but itâs not just a few lines of code that needed to be added, itâs a whole new geometric entity and everything that goes with it including the UI.
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Rhino 6 admits that it cannot⌠or has problems with 2D drafting⌠at least, in .dwg file format (exporting, of course). This is admitted indirectly (mostly) in Rhino 6 level 2 training materials here: http://docs.mcneel.com/rhino/6/training-level2/en-us/Default.htm#topics/10_applying%202-d%20graphics.htm%3FTocPath%3D_____13 Make a model from a 2âD drawing (section, within this chapter). This is where it says this, among other things: âFor example, you will have to consider which view to consider the most accurate for a given feature.â
ViaCAD, versions 9, 10, or 11 can do this best out of any CAD program. I have ViaCAD Pro version 10. It works error free for 2D drafting and exporting to .dwg file format. Rhino 6 exports with errors in accuracy for some odd reason. I forget the exact model I saw this happen on, but just generally remember that sometimes, often enough, Rhino 6 cannot draw 2D drafts up error free, like ViaCAD can and does. Rhino 6 is superior and best for 3D modeling for sure! But, when it comes to 2D drafting, I like ViaCAD best and it really only beats out Rhino 6 in this type of design work because of imperfect exports of DWG files. ViaCAD gets it perfect, always (donât ask me how; Iâm not a programmer). So, between my own experience and not-so-great comments in Rhino 6âs level 2 training mats, I feel ViaCAD should be used by everyone for 2D drafting and exporting in .dwg file format (usually, but sometimes other formats it has). Rhino 6 is good/best for 3D modeling and exporting in various formats (my favs being .dwg, .igs, .stp, .obj, and .dae⌠and sometimes .fbx).
Rhino 6 = 3D modeling
ViaCAD = 2D drafting
Bonuses:
DAZ3D/DAZ Studio = character animation
Meshmixer = sculpting work (a special type of 3D modeling)
Iâm flagging the above post as spam - false claims and advertising IMOâŚ
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thanks⌠that really helps⌠at least the advertising part has to be wrong because Iâm not getting paid for posting about other programs AND I donât get why people would flag my stuff as/for advertising when above there is a VR design program advertised, called Gravity Sketch
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Well, Iâll let the McNeel folk unflag it then.
â False, heresay⌠Post a file if you have an example.
The Help article you mention is about applying a 2D graphic to a 3D surface - not about drafting in general.
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i dunno, this thread is about good cad programms Mitch, and you are flagging a post which did nothing other. i dont see any flagging so i assume you are the only one doing so.
Yeah, this is pretty much bullshit in the way you are making these claims. And it should be flagged as such.
Kevin, you can could make a great point about Rhinoâs weak 2D drafting if you post an example of an error that Rhino 6 generates, and then the same export in VidaLocaCAD (or whatever is called) and show how is superior.
But of course you would only do that if you are here as a Rhino user to help Rhino improve. Otherwise you should post this âI vaguely remember that Rhino 6 I think it kind of sucks? âŚmaybe?â in the VidaLocaCAD forums. Not here.
The McNeel team is very good about taking on constructive feedback, even if sometimes theyâll ignore some of those posts for a few months, or a few years⌠(just sayinâ)
G
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I wouldnât have flagged it at all if it wasnât worded like an advertisement and filled with dubious claims.
chee, guys ganging up on the wrong one, dont do it.
If you want to make animations, you have to use plugin renderer rather than stand-alone renderer. Detailed technical debate about best Rhino plugin renderers may not be suitable for this thread, but it seems that terse description of best Rhino plugin renderers is OK. It seems that at present (2020-11-23) the best plugin renderer is KeyShot. Its least expensive version, called KeyShot HD costs $995. Lumion is expensive ($1778) stand-alone renderer that can be synchronized with Rhino. I do not know if it is compatible with animations. V-Ray plugin is almost as good as the KeyShot. It costs $790. Its quality declines, probably due to the fact that most of the programming is now outsourced. OctaneRender plugin does not deserve praise because it is expensive ($699 for 1 year) and it because it does not work without a dongle.
Yes, thatâs IF you want to use the animation abilities found only within Rhino 6. THEN, you would need those plug-in only renderers you just mentioned. I too, for plug-in type of Rhino renderer programs, like Keyshot best as well. But, I prefer to do animations without âfullâ plug-in ability and within another program instead for even less money, and itâs easier, and looks just as good as Keyshot for most renders done⌠or animations. Itâs called Composer 10 Pro.
Almost all my animations are animations of machines. Bongo 2 plugin is barely good enough for these animations. I anxiously wait for Bongo 3. I know almost nothing about the SimLab Soft Composer 10 Pro, but it seems than it is not suitable for the animations of machines.
It is geared toward, and mostly for houses/architectural rendering/animation yes. But, it CAN do other types of animation including machines/mechanical. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZNMtariggs and I see in it when I open SimLab Composer 10 Pro that it has mechanical things like machines such as this: Libraries/3D Models/Tools/Drill
I spent about two hours studying the SimLab Composer and my opinion is positive. The SimLab Composer is popular. I know it because there is huge amount of bootleg copies on the Internet. It is not buggy. I know it because its users praise it on Simlab Forums. Its price is similar to the price of Bongo plugin - SimLab Composer Mechanical costs $479. The SimLab Composer Mechanical has all features of Bongo plus skeletal animation. (The skeletal animation is used to animate people and animals.) There is no Rhino plugin, but there is link similar to Lumion and easy importing of Rhino 3dm files. The most unusual feature of SimLab is that it is located in Amman, Jordan.
SimLab Composer reviews:
https://www.g2.com/products/simlab-composer/reviews#survey-response-1974006
SimLab Composer Mechanical resembles Bongo 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euctP_0eGTo
basic tutorial of SimLab Composer Mechanical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRK-VRAOuM
SimLab integration with Rhino: Simlab 3D Products - Simlab Composer Integration with Rhino
Simlab Forums: Simlab Forums - Index page
skeletal animation in SimLab Composer Mechanical:
Different editions/versions of Simlab Composer have different features and prices: Simlab Composer Features
SimLab 3D Products - Buy Simlab Composer
SimLab 3D Products - SimLab Composer Comparison
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SharkCAD Pro is similar to Rhino. It had SubD objects before 2014. Its price is $2,500, but I would not pay more than $1000. Its website is here: https://www.punchcad.com/punch-sharkcad-pro-v12
YouTube channel of the SharkCAD and cheaper program called ViaCAD is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8ngbwwwEZBMo1nJXSCndA/videos
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Architecture is more than just deriving the exterior facade/shape of a building. The space within the building itself has to be planned out and to code. Thatâs quite involving and requires a team of Architects and architectural technicians. To be honest a very creative 12 year old could come up with a beautiful building concept. Making it work is the hard part. This is why initial building concepts usually undergo iterations as a compromise is found between a unique/artistic exterior and functional interior.
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