Hoping for some insight from the group. I’ve created a surface using a control point curve and the network surface command. I then toolpath this surface in Rhinocam and mill it on an AXYZ cnc router. When I path and mill the file I’m discovering areas of triangulation is the best way I can describe it. Where the surface is no longer smooth but faceted. I use a simple parallel finish toolpath in rhinocam. I’m trying to track this down, is the issue in the surface creation, or in Rhinocam? My guess is in the way I’m using network surface. Is there a better way to create this surface? Thank you!
I don’t know RhinoCAM but I am familiar with CNC machining. It appears to me that RhinoCAM is generating a mesh with larger triangles in areas with less curvature for the toolpathing. You might look in RhinoCAM settings to see if there are meshing parameters that you can adjust, similar to the ones in Rhino as shown below so you can produce smaller triangles. If there is no option in RhinoCAM to produce a mesh with smaller triangles, you might have to mesh the object in Rhino before you use RhinoCAM.
Your photo appears to show the larger triangles are falling along a line, rather over the entire surface. That could indicate a different issue.
NetworkSrf always creates a degree 3 surface without multiknots or kinks, even if the input curves have kinks. That means there is curvature continuity between the spans of the surface. A faceted surface from NetworkSrf is not possible.
The surface display may appear to be faceted depending on the render mesh settings. If so refine the render mesh settings.
It is unclear how RhinoCAM handles the meshing. It may not use Rhino’s render mesh and instead use its own meshing. Brian will need to determine which mesh is being used to generate the tool path.
In reading the following document about RhinoCAM it appears the tool path generation is based on tolerance settings. Go down to the section on Effects of Machining Tolerances.
So I’ve refined the mesh in rhino. Then I read the mecsoft post you sent me. I was not using Arc Fitting before. When I use that correctly it looks to be producing smooth toolpaths.
