Gradient shading

Some time ago you showed me how to make gradient shading in RHINO 5, as follows.

Panel menu>texture panel>+>more types>gradient texture.

I got it with the curve and can make bi-directional gradient with a parabolic graph. But could not apply to a test rectangular surface. Can you please guide me through in a step-by-step manner?

I have some additional questions, as given below.

  1. Can I make gradient shading on closed curve and not just on surface? Say, first make hatch and then get the gradient.

  2. Will it be possible to get gradient hatching in Rhino – may be in future?

  3. It looks like RHINO 6 has different procedure. Can you please help me for Rhino 6 as well?

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Hello - I am not sure I follow - if you make the gradient texure and add it to a material and apply the material to the surface, it all should work, though you may need to adjust the mapping on the surface. I’m not sure what you mean here:

Maybe post an example file?

-Pascal

Dear Pascal,

Many thanks for your quick response.

Attached will show my progress but unable to apply to the rectangular surface, as a test case.

Succeeding the test case, I intend to show where I need to apply in a composite aircraft image.

How do I do the same Rhino 6, looks like it is different from Rhino 5?

A video tutorial will prove helpful.

With regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy - set the viewport display mode to Rendered - does that do it?

-Pascal

Dear Pascal,

Following my earlier email, attached herewith is what I intend to. I author aerospace engineering text books (see Internet).

The outlines of the aircraft are drawn as closed curve in Rhino 5. The shading is done in Autodesk sketchbook using the close curves (not surface). I like to do this in Rhino (both in versions 5 and 6). But let me understand the procedure first, as I given in my last email on a test rectangle.

With regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy - I understand what you are after, but you can’t do that in Rhino with curves, as you know. However for the moment I am trying to solve the problem where you do not see the gradient applied to the surface - if the gradient is the color on a material and the material is applied to the surface, then you should see the gradient if the current viewport is set to Rendered mode.

gradient.3dm (58.1 KB)

-Pascal

Dear Pascal,

Thanks again - getting here.

Now, how do I make ‘viewport display’ to render? It is greyed out in the texture box.

I just sent the aircraft shaded diagram - have a look and let me know.

Regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy -

-Pascal

Dear Pascal,

Thanks again - fantastic support with promptness, as always.

Forgive this old man (mid-octogenarian). Trouble continues - how to set colours. Please see attached. Once again your step-by-step guidance is requested.

Gradient texture on surface will do - does not have to be with closed curves. I will treat each surface in different layers and find a way out. But first I need to know the procedure on the test rectangle.

With regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy - the gradient colors are set in the texture properties - the left hand dialog that you have open in the image, but scroll up in the dialog.

image

Is that what you mean?

-Pascal

Dear Pascal,

Thanks again - will get there.

The next obstacle - where am I doing wrong? Long time when you instructed me, I succeeded - this time am stumbling. Please bear with me. So once again your guidance.

Regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy - there are two things in play here:

  1. The gradient texture - you have that - it is now listed in the list of textures in the Textures panel (only one so far)
  2. The object’s material - in order for the rendered viewport to show the gradient on the object, the object must have a material for which the color is provided by the texture:

So, one way to do this is to select the surface and in Properties set the material to ‘By object’

image

and then set the Color channel to use the texture that you made:

Any luck?

-Pascal

Wow, Pascal! A really nice tutorial. If Ajoy can find all the things you circled and pointed to I suspect he’ll have success. I don’t ordinarily have much use for this kind of stuff but I think I’ll try it out just because you’ve made it so easy to follow.

Dear Pascal,

Thanks a million.

Tomorrow, I will attend the latest. Now past 11-30pm - will need time to digest.

Till tomorrow. Regards . Ajoy

Dear Pascal,

I planned to attend the Rhino gradient issue today but got engaged with my authoring work that I will complete today and return to Rhino tomorrow.

With regards. Ajoy

Dear Pascal,

Struggled but got it (by chance?), as attached - many thanks for your superb support. Need to practice.

In my three books, I made nearly 1000 drawings using Rhino. It will be great if you can bring into Rhino an easier way to get gradient texture on surface, still better gradient shading on closed curve by clicking menu driven icons as we do for shading now. This may not be a rigorous 3D modelling for which Rhino is dedicated, but will help sketchers a lot.

Please let me know.

Rhino V6 looks different. How do I do it Rhino V6?

With regards. Ajoy

Hi Ajoy - in V6 the process is really about the same - create a texture, add it to the color channel of a material and apply the material to objects. Note you can create a single material and apply it to any number of objects and you can make materials and keep them in a file that you use as a template for starting new files, and you can export to a file on disc and import materials as well, so you do not need to go through this process for each object or even in each file.

-Pascal

We have added gradient and transparent hatches to Rhino 7 Work in Progress. Please go to the Gradient Hatch topic for more information and how to use it.