More of a philosophical question here… would it be wise to invest time into learning Rhino and Grasshopper for CNC designs? I am not interested in the CAM side of things with Rhino, but more of the aesthetic possibilities with the Rhino/Grasshopper duo.
I am relatively comfortable using Fusion 360 and Vectric products for designing and producing the g-code for my CNC router. I realize asking this question on a Rhino forum that the possibility for bias is rather high. None the less, I am curious to have the conversation and explore opinions on the matter.
Check out @siemen 's profile for inspiration… He’s done some great work creating CNC paths and G-Code for patterns and textures. He has some nice photos in the gallery section too.
There is so much you can do with GH and Rhino. I enjoy distorting meshes to create surfaces that can be machined into wood. I haven’t created actual toolpaths or G-code since I have CAM software that can do that.
What sort of things are you interested in designing/making?
I use grasshopper for modelling and Fusion for tool paths. I find the work flow helps to get a nicer design overall because I’m able to tweak it much more easily in gh to get what I want. Rhino also exports nicely to fusion
Since you ask it like that: whether it’s wise is completely up to you. Wise in what sense? Is it wise to spend time on anything? It would definitely open up a lot of possibilities though.
I guess it depends on what you want to make and what you mean by “cnc designs”. Do you have any examples of what you are thinking of? I use Rhino (and a bit less grasshopper these days) all the time for stuff being made using the cnc and I think the possibilities are kind of endless. Except if you would like to do bass reliefs or organic mesh models with textures, I believe there are other better tools out there for doing that.
My main interest is making simple and functional items that have unique flair (the flair is what I really lack). I am almost done building the machine, so I have yet to actually produce anything physically. Prior to buying the machine, I challenged myself to make 15 designs using Vectric and Fusion 360 from start to finish (including g-code export for GRBL) to be sure I was truly interested in taking this further.
So I feel like I lack real creativity because (so far) I tend to copy and model designs found on Pinterest and the like. I am hopeful that given enough time and effort, my creative juices will start flowing with tools like Grasshopper. In some ways, maybe I am asking too much of the software, and in other ways… I am hoping that just having a play can lead to cool results.
Wise in the sense that I perceive a dichotomy between tools like Fusion 360/Vectric VCarve and Rhino/Grasshopper. I understand the choice is not completely binary, but my time is finite. Perhaps it is good to have a balance between a few options. I have looked through your instagram and you have done amazing work. I am very much interested in the type of work you do in addition to smaller and more intricate mechanisms. Again, perhaps my main problem is lack of focus. I want to make all the things which leads to the paradox of choice. This is purely for fun at this point as I am a full time firefighter and need a creative outlet.
I’m similar in that I made a CNC router and enjoy machining things in wood. I particularly like things that are tactile and nice to look at.
This forum is a great place to get inspiration and help. I’m an engineer not an artist so that elusive “flair” is hard to find but the process is always interesting and fun.