Layout & Drafting: What's the plan?

Serengeti (Rhino WIP)
196

Hi all, I think we are getting to the point.

I have not much experience on AutoCad/Revit/Archicad but more than 20 years with Microstation. There you have a lot of control on your layout but the workflow is quite demanding and far from straightforward. The software looks lost somewhere in the past (and affected by a crazy licensing policy) so I decided to quit.

I am trying to find my way in Rhino because I like it (together with McNeel attitude) a lot and because most of the geometry I exchange with Clients/Colleagues is Rhino: in the marine Industry is sort of standard.

Layout and Drafting is an important part of the game: there should be a way to produce nice drawings straight in Rhino without exporting static sections and views to be assembled in Autocad or similar.

Updating and revisioning is important as well: If I make my layout in a software other than Rhino is there some solution which keeps views, sections, notes and change geometry following Rhino file update?

Please find my suggestions to this topic in order of importance (more or less…):

  1. Vector Output is mandatory!

Output could be PDF / AI / DWG / 2D Rhino.

Advanced display modes could be a background image (as is currently) + vector overlay of ALL contours, lines, text, dimension, etc.

  1. Layer Management

Layer visibility on Model Space should be Independent from Layout Space: SafeLayout is a nice example, something similar should be implemented in Rhino. See my post above.

Regarding Layers I am currently structuring my files with a deep hierarchical structure, more or less like a Solid Modeler Structure Three. This helps Layout organization to control which objects are shown on Detail Views.

Regarding this could be useful being able to find an Object from Model to corresponding Layers and vice versa, more than having to select Layer/Select Object. Something dynamic Like a Layer/Object Highlight when I select or hover Object/Layer like Spaceclaim does.

  1. Sections Tools Improvements

This is a nice tool which unfortunately looks almost frozen to 2017, It is the only Dynamic tool available for layouts. Here some hints for developement:

  • Layers state should be associated to section: When I update the section, I do not have to bother to toggle layers or select items again.

  • Section Clips should remain always hidden.

  • All Options could be managed through a dedicated panel where I can see/manage a list of Sections and their attributes or toggle an update.

  • A panel like this would allow to drag and drop straight to a Layout (like suggested above), placing a detail view with correct orientation and Layer visibility.

I prefer to leave sections on their place in the model and compose my drawing with Layouts but, in case stLayout Command is used to place Sections on World XY plane:

  • Placed Sections should have the option to be rearranged. A Layout need always some tweaks!

  • There should be another Grip point option more than Center/Mid/Max . This is almost useless… If the object is modified and I update the section this is moved around, due to Grip point limitation. I think there should be a Zero Option related to Model Coordinates, say X=0 Y=0 for a Transverse Section which keep it always in place.

  1. Automatic Projection/Section/Detail

This is a typical feature on Solid Modelers, actually Rhino does it through the Make2D Command which places a static detail on World XY Plane. This should be Dynamic and directed to Layout. Model Space should be the place for the model only!

I think that Detail Views with proper linking of Sections, Clipping Planes and Display Modes could handle all of this.

Basic Stuff like placing a Projection / Section connected to a placed Detail View should be available right away!

  1. Text

Text management on layout is very basic: currently the only way to control text flow is to use Monospaced Fonts and adjust formatting through space tab. TAB should be implemented, if not some more word processor capabilities.

Could be useful, when drafting, to force all quotes/annotation on a Layout to be assigned to an “annotation” level, rather than active one and possibly link them to detail View as well.

  1. Excel Table Support

I think this is an important missing feature, discussed already on a long thread. There is a Tables plugin which allows to import some basic spreadsheets but formatting is not preserved. The only way so far to keep all formatting is to print a PDF from Excel then Import it into Rhino. This is static again and not as straightforward as a Copy/Paste OLE object.

  1. Packager

This is not related directly to Layouts but helpful to share Rhino files when their appearance relies on linked files and/or custom display modes, scripts, plugins. In my case I managed to generate a full design set composed of several sheets dynamically linked to 3d model but this cannot be replicated on another workstation if not tweaking the same display modes, scripts, plugin…

It is common in other CAD to have a “packager” utility which store all custom settings and dependent files to an archive ready to be shared.

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