Hi all - I just bought and downloaded Rhino 8 and have played around a bit but am still very new to the software. My goal in Rhino is to process 3D laser scan data from curved/twisting stairs, then use that data to model parts that will get imported into another software to get programmed for a 5 axis CNC. Ideally, I can pay someone to work with me for an hour or so at a time to learn about the relevant Rhino commands for what I’m trying to do. See an example project below - in this project, I scanned a metal bar that was bent to fit on top of a curved stair stringer. I need to model the metal bar, then model the handrail with a plow in the bottom to sit over the bar. Depending how squirrelly the metal is, the path of the wood handrail may be slightly different to give smoother transitions.
Here’s a few steps I need help with in Rhino:
- Making the Id text and point markers smaller and easier to see
- Drawing a 3D curve for the outside points. Projecting that to the XY plane, then smoothing it and offsetting it to be a centerline, then smoothing again? and offsetting to create the inside curve
- Creating 3D curves and then a surface for the top of the bar. Offsetting to account for thickness of the location fixture
- Modeling the metal bar
- Modeling the handrail with a plow to follow the bar
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Maybe if you will be able to share a sample file I will take a look at what you want to achieve. I do made quite a lot of staircase projects, so I do know a thing or two about them.
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5LB Rail.dwg (61.4 KB)
Here is the data from the scan. The metal bar is 1" wide by 1/2" tall. I scanned the edge of the bar closest to the stair so it needs to be offset inward 1". For the top I used a piece of 3/32" plywood with 2 points marked on it and a magnet to hold it.
- Select everything in your model and go to Properties panel / Text and adjust the Height and other properties for the text as you need. I made the text much smaller, so hopefully you can read easier. Text size 0.3 or lower works better in this case. (Using metric system here)
The markers can be replaced with a point or something else you want, just create a new Block with the desired geometry you want to replace the markers, I created a Block with a Point, and after that run the ReplaceBlock, Select All to “additional selectable instances to change” and after that click on the Point_New block that I created, and voila, you have all the crosses changed to points.
Your curves are quite messy. I think that first you need to find a way to clean the curves a little bit.
“Drawing a 3D curve for the outside points” - Do you refer to the points closer to the Gold curve?
This is how looks your file with this modifications applied.
5LB Rail.3dm (836.5 KB)
