Wish: Cut or Extract Isocurve with Offset (in all directions)

Rhino Rhino for Windows
1

I find myself trying this, but it’s not there (meaning, it must be intuitive, but Rhino doesn’t agree):

Over and over again I draw solids which I then want to extrude in different directions. To do so in a fluent manner it would be extremely helpful if Extract Isocurve (or Cut with Isocurve) would support defining an offset distance from a corner or edge for the Isocurve to be cut or drawn.

Then one could Cut & Extrude in a very rapid pace.

Use case example: Think of a wall system in a house, or kitchen cabinets. In no time one could draw the basic box-shapes - in “free form” - although still applying standard dimensions (by offsets from corners & edges). Just Cut and Drag out Extrusions. The Isocurve extraction offsets should work in all directions (horizontally and vertically).

That would be something.

// Rolf

1 Like
2

Can you provide an image showing what you’re after? I’m not sure I get it from the explanation (not that it matters though, since I’m not from McNeel. Just curious if I run into the same issue).

3

See below for a simple example. Notice that one has to perform three (no, four) separate steps for each Cut & Extrude, and these four steps could (should) be combined and started with one command:

  1. Extract Surface (can’t cut it a single Srf otherwise)
  2. Cut with Isocurve (this should support “offset from edge, or point”)
  3. Join
  4. Drag (drag supports a distance, so that’s OK)

Cut_Extrude_Demo
Cut_Extrude_Demo769×460 67 KB

I imagine this demonstrates a “common and quite useful” usecase.

// Rolf

4

Oeehh, I like that.

I guess for your specific example I’d use the oneview drawing mode and offset the edge with a flat cap and then extrude the square that gets created from the offset.

5

“Flat cap”? What is that?

Anyway, when I tried it earlier, offset doesn’t seem to work for vertical lines/edges(?)

// Rolf

6

image
image.png965×54 4.45 KB

7

Try this Macro for your above example:
_Cplane _Surface _Pause _Enter _Enter _Offset _Pause _Cap=Flat _Throughpoint _Pause _Pause _Sellast _Cplane _World _Top _Extrude _DeleteInput=Yes

First select the surface on which you want to extrude, then select the edge which you would like to offset from. Then enter extrusion length.

I just tried it very quickly so probably not 100% fail proof.

1 Like
8

After trying it a bit it seems to work quite well. Thank you for this hint! It does the job.

// Rolf