Congratulations to McNeel on the monumental release of Rhino 7! Thank you to all the developers for your hard work. Here’s a list of what I would like to see the devs focus on for the next WIP. Items listed in no particular order.
Advanced Clipping.
Exclude objects/selective clipping. Rhino users have requested development of this feature since as early as November 2009 according to the YouTrack. This feature will streamline the process of illustrating complex assemblies and “peel away” compositions in a non-destructive way. Exclude Object from Clipping Planes? - #22 by ivan.galik
We need linked file manager for texture images and the ability to see broken links all in one place, relink, and package them all into a folder that can be sent along with a .3dm file. (We get an embedded files folder sometimes but there is no way to create this folder on command.) As Rhino CPU/GPU rendering comes to maturity with Cycles, this feature is imperative for effective file management.
The number one reason my colleagues in the profession of architecture refuse to switch to Rhino from another popular 3D modeling software is their robust user-generated asset libraries where you can download anything from people to trees or a coffee pot directly into your scene. Additionally, suppliers and manufacturers appear to be paying a premium to list 3D models of their products in this space. With the current revolt against the subscription model, this user group seems ripe for the taking. Please don’t direct to 3rd party websites offering a mixed bag of for sale and subpar free assets.
I need the advanced clipping, but I do not need other features mentioned by the original poster. The fillets are editable in Rhino 7, but this feature was buggy when I used it a few months ago.
I can find no documentation of this and it’s not listed in the Rhino 7 Features post. When I said “editable fillets” I meant fillets that can be modified or removed on an object after they have been created.
Nevertheless, isn’t this a concern? Certainly V6 documentation should have been carried forward into the V7 documentation. Is it too obscure to find easily, or doesn’t it exist at all?
Well, it’s tucked inside the _FilletEdge command and it does have documentation. To borrow a joke from another rhino user – I think part of the problem lies between the keyboard and the chair. I’m just happy it’s already a functioning feature.
@AlW
I think I misunderstood your reply. Anyway, now you can easily tell what’s new when you look through the help topics. I hope this can be helpful in the future versions of Rhino.
Flamingo plugin is mediocre renderer, but it makes good trees and shrubs. It has not been updated for several years and cannot match the performance of native Rhino renderer. It would be good idea to salvage Flamingo plants by integrating them with Rhino (like Grasshopper).
XNurbs plugin ($395) makes smooth blending of NURBS surfaces. In my opinion, this plugin or something similar should be integrated into Rhino.
Many computer users prefer dark background.
The last problem is the quality of mesh commands and the quality of Rhino documentation.
I forgot to mention that the advanced clipping is available in Rhino 5 and Rhino 6 as a plugin called SectionTools. Brian James explained the Rhino 5 plugin in this video tutorial: https://vimeo.com/18666799
I’ve used section tools occasionally, but this plugin doesn’t address the fundamental features that many uses have been asking about for years: Object exclusion and clipping extents.
There’s actually another plugin that gets a bit closer called Dynamic Display. Add object exclusion to this and we’re all set. I’ll gladly pay Asuni $35 bucks for this functionality (but of course, it’s preferable to have this integrated into native Rhino as a first-class citizen so it would get the continued attention it deserves.)
Since VisualArq can exclude objects from clipping and Dynamic Display can control clipping extents, It appear to me–as someone who is not a software developer–that all the ingredients already exist within the McNeel/Asuni ecosystem and it’s just a matter of convincing our friendly developers to devote resources to exploring this feature in the next WIP.
I did not use the SectionTools plugin for many years, so I do not remember it well, but it seems that ‘Edit Sections Object List’ Option can do it. Take a look at this video from 4:36 to 4:50: https://vimeo.com/18666799
That’s actually a perfect example of why SectionTools doesn’t cut it. At 4:35 when the tutor updates the object list to only cut through the roof, you can see in perspective view that it is still clipping through the blue polysurfaces. I don’t care about the 2D section cut–I want this to work in 3D. We need the ability to create perspective and orthographic “peel away” assembly illustrations with a non-destructive workflow.
I would love @rajaa to weigh in on this discussion.
Some of your descriptions are hard to understand because they are very terse.
-Sketching is already available. It is called SmartTrack.
-Radial SubD symmetry, more robust topo snap in SubD, and variable SubD creasing, particles and atmospheres in rendering (hair fur, fog, etc) are good ideas.
-Voxel boolean and offsets are hard to understand.
-Non photo real rendering (watercolor, sketchy, poster-ized, etc…) is available in old Penguin plugin.
-Robust cloud library for materials and rendering assets from inside rhino seems to be less important than fundamental flaw of Rhino textures. You can see this flaw when you apply wood texture to a sphere. The only solution is volumetric texture mapping.
I’m just happy it’s already a functioning feature.
