Rhino WIP Feature: Constraints

[Brenda]

Well, (scuffs feet, looks down) I did make a little thread about the block manager.

V6: Making a Better Block Manager

I’ve done some posts with suggestions for a better block manager. In using Rhino v5 on a drawing with more than 200 different blocks, I have some additional suggestions, requests, and comments. 1.) We need an option to list blocks (or exclude) that are not made of other blocks. We need to know what parts to make or purchase before we even think about assembling them. In other words, which blocks are root blocks, and which ones are only assemblies of those blocks? We have “Top Level,” but we nee…

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

That was a great thread Brenda. There are a few other excellent ones too.

Citing lack of feedback and asking for more examples on how to make Rhino better has become a very common distraction by some McNeel folks here. Especially when they asks us to provide examples of stuff that they are only a search away.

This tactic is starting to feel like placebo, and frustratingly disingenuous IMO. Maybe unintentionally, but it’s worth pointing it out.

G

[stevebaer]

We did write a block manager replacement and are looking for feedback now. The block manager features implemented were driven heavily by the above thread. Now we need to know if it actually works for people and if there are any gotchas that need to be addressed. I get it that the typical response is “I already told you”. There is just so much information these days from so many directions it is difficult to know if we have improved the workflows for individuals.

[Brenda]

My experiences with the block manager, were from when I worked on a groundskeeping-type machine for a friend. It have over 1,000 parts, including nuts, bolts, washers, screws, bearing faces, clamps, and well it had parts too. A provisional Patent was written for it.

That stated, the Block manager is by design a useful function, that reduces both effort, and resources. It also helps with collaborative designs. McNeel has made a few improvements to the Block manager. I feel that working on something like a Block manager is not sexy, attention-getting work, but I feel that Blocks are one of tools that allow the creation of things with multiple parts.

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

That’s great to hear Steve! I also hope this could be also the building blocks (nice pun!) for a better exchange of files with MCAD packages like Solidworks, Creo, Etc.

The Spaceclaim stop-over to convert layer <> components works, but sometimes it’s glitchy in its own way. This weird we had a weird issue that over right same file it was caching old stuff, not fun. This is why I prefer to leave more of this stuff to Rhino if possible.

G

[Intuos]

Do you guys keep a backlog of useful feedback posts for development? I often see links posted to discourse on youtrack items, but if feedback doesn’t make it to youtrack, then what? Just wondering…

[wim (Wim Dekeyser)]

Hoi -

@Intuos

I often see links posted to discourse on youtrack items, but if feedback doesn’t make it to youtrack, then what?

The youtrack item should contain a link to a discourse post or, when the user sent an eMail, to a SupportBee ticket. This is used to notify the user when the issue is solved.
Apart from that, the youtrack item should contain enough information to describe the issue at hand. When that is not the case, it would be helpful if that is pointed out.
-wim

[wim (Wim Dekeyser)]

Hi Gustavo -

@gustojunk

I also hope this could be also the building blocks (nice pun!) for a better exchange of files with MCAD packages like Solidworks, Creo, Etc.

I could probably spend an hour or two trying to find your previous feedback on this specifically but perhaps you could quickly remind us what the issue is with STEP files from Rhino to Solidworks?
Thanks,
-wim

[AlW]

@wim

I could probably spend an hour or two trying to find your previous feedback on this specifically

The real question here is “what is wrong with your info/tracking system that it would take you an hour?” My expectation would be about 2 minutes or less in this day and age.

Does discourse’s search system need more work? Better indexing? Better linkage to youtrack items?

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

Hi @wim, I tried to search on this and I cannot find my most relevant posts, did Discourse lose a lot of older data or something?

Here’s a screenshot of a CAD release done this week. All work done in Rhino by us, turned into a Parasolid assembly that then Solidworks can read and make sense of it.

This of course has no further logic of repeated or instanced parts, etc. inside is components (what used to be a layer) is a part in Solidworks (what used to be a Rhino object).

Here’s a couple of threads about the problem more into detail…

In this one @brian captured the work to be done, but he’s only talking about importing, not importing AND exporting:

Proposal: Importing STEP assemblies as nested layers, not nested blocks

Moving the conversation from There is a block definition on layer X, delete it before deleting layer… A solution that we’ve been working toward in that thread for bringing in nested assemblies from STEP files, and representing them in Rhino such that: Individual parts can be edited in Rhino simply. Unnecessary parts and subassemblies can be easily deleted The model can be exported back to STEP without losing any of the assembly structure The strategy is to: read in assemblies as layers, w…

That topic above was a split topic from this other one:

There is a block definition on layer X, delete it before deleting layer

[image] This is the worst UI part of Rhino. I mean, why would you do this to a user, and then, in the BlockManager not show any layers? [image] I bet Block 3 - 9 are also on that layer, but I don’t know. This and filleting is why Rhino currently is only suitable for small surfacing jobs.

I also had conversations about this with @chuck a few years ago, where I described the problem to solved in this way: the collaboration roundtripping problem:

1. I should be able to receive a STEP/Parasolid assembly from a colleague/client/supplier using Solidworks. Open it in Rhino, edit some parts, and export it again, and send it back. The person who gets it back should see the exact same assembly structure as what they sent originally, bit now with my new geometric changes). Thats’ how we operate today, but it requires owning and managing all this extra $$$ software.

2. The process about should be able to repeat back and forth between Rhino <>Solidworks multiple times and the assembly structure must stay the same.

Please let me know if you need anything else,

G

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

I’m pretty sure some data is gone or something is up. I remember posting many posts, examples and videos about this and I could not come up with anything even though I knew what I was looking for.

G

[Intuos]

@gustojunk Did you search with a query with your username too (Search results for ' @gustojunk solidworks' - McNeel Forum)? Have you tried looking at your post history? Sometimes that helps too. But if you have a general idea about the date you can also filter for that under the advance search.

E: This is odd, I could have sworn I read something about this in the past. “Solidworks + spaceclaim + @gustojunk” only gives two search results: Search results for ' @gustojunk spaceclaim solidworks' - McNeel Forum

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

Yes I used those similar queries using my username + Spaceclaim + layers + assembly + Solidworks, etc. I know for sure I had a least 10+ posts about this. And it terms of my history, that’s been asked for about a decade now. Like most big features/ improvement, so that won’t help much

G

[Intuos]

I thought, maybe there is something wonky going on with search, so if you were to look at your post history and Ctrl + F in your browser for Solidworks, you’ll be able to find it. Worth trying at least, right?

[gustojunk (Gustavo Fontana)]

That’s a cool trick! thanks for sharing. I did try that and unfortunately same limited results, even after pre-scrolling to load a few years of posts.

I think i remember a few years back some bid screw up happened with backups or something? But no one panic. I’m relentless.

G

[Intuos]

I’m pretty sure you could post enough again for McNeel to increase their backlog even further

[g.synetos (g.syn)]

Hi @wim so it’s official? We ain’t gonna have constrains in Rhino 8???

[Brenda]

I don’t understand. McNeel seemed to make this Block Commander. It was young. It showed promise. Then we never heard anything about it again.

[wim (Wim Dekeyser)]

Hi Georgios -

@g.synetos

We ain’t gonna have constrains in Rhino 8???

That’s correct, yes.

@Brenda

I don’t understand. McNeel seemed to make this Block Commander. It was young. It showed promise. Then we never heard anything about it again.

I’m not sure if that is your feedback on the new Block Manager in the Rhino 8 WIP?
-wim

[g.synetos (g.syn)]

I guess there is a good reasoning behind but still sad to see that you will not make it on R8 as I found it to be one of those real updates.
Similarly to R7 that had SubD as new core feature, I was hoping R8 to have constraints.