I got back to school for the summer semester and used my
 student status to order the educational discounted Rhino.
 Any recommendations for the CAM side package? I'd like to
 get it while my student status is still valid.
 C. Smith


 I have not used it. So far I have got along by exporting
 the Rhino file to Solid Works and most NC shops in my neighborhood
 are using Solid Works.

 Paul Lamar


 C Smith,  I am exporting from Rhino 4 with .stl format to meshcam 3 to
generate the G-code files for a gantry router. You can download a demo
version to try out by searching "meshcam3" or grizsoft.com. If you don't
have your own CNC equipment you may not need G-code files since the CNC
parameters for tooling dimensions (diameter,taper,flute length, and
conventional or climb cutting) are needed for the offsets on the tool
paths.
The machine shop will want to use tooling cutters they have in inventory
and
specify which corner or the center for the "0" point. If they have CNC
equipment they will already have software for generating the G or M code.
For machine control EMC-2  (free to download) is very well featured with an
average learning curve.
       For a rotary engine end housing doing parallel roughing and
waterline finishing with pencil point cleanup to an accuracy of .0001 takes
about 3 minutes on a 1.8 Ghz processor computer and Meshcam3. I haven't
used
it on the 3.4 Ghz quad core which would be faster but I have that one to
run
the X-Plane simulator for the airframe testing.


At $29.95 for the flight
simulator with plane maker and airfoil maker included this is probably the
best value in experimental aviation software.This software has allowed me
to
get an aerobatic 233 KIAS canard to glide at 58 KIAS with a vertical speed
of 380 FPM by changing wing incidence and canard location. Also useful to
establish CG limits and cruise speed numbers with fixed versus retractable
gear.

George grimes


I don't know about the later versions of Rhino but there are
a few things Rhino 3  doesn't do well. Variable radius fillets
and shells are a couple. If you export the files as stp's one has
the option of fixing that in Solid Works. What Rhino does better
and easier than Solid Works are compound surfaces.

Paul Lamar



Paul,  I have never used Rhino 3. I went from Rhino 1.1  (which I still use
to convert files to native rhino .3dm format) to  rhino 4.   I  have tried
the variable fillet tool in Rhino 4 on the water passages of the end
housings. It is done by assigning the radius desired at the control nodes
and adding nodes as needed with the program interpolating  the radius
between the nodes. This command adds the fillet surface to the two surfaces
being filleted. If both sides are visible the original surfaces must be
trimmed back to the fillet. Surface trimming as I understand it in Rhino
makes the trimmed areas invisible to all forms of output but actually still
there in the .3dm file. As far as shells are concerned Rhino 5 has a command
that generates them directly, however Rhino of all generations is a surface
modeler.

      What defines a Rhino  solid is capping planer holes etc to make
them enclosed spaces which then have all the properties of a solid and the
analysis commands do mass properties and centroid locations as if they are a
solid. To do a shell in Rhino 4 you would do an offset surface using the
shell thickness as the offset. Then the edge curves would be used to make
the edge surfaces of the solid. The surface normals then are checked and
flipped as necessary to  all point outward before joining the surfaces for a
closed solid. If you   punch out windows in a fuselage with slice the solid
is a surface with holes and windows. If you punch the windows with boolean
difference it remains a closed solid with surfaces added to retain the model
as a solid. Rhino 5 automates the shell creation.

        Once using the Rhino system it seems that the surface modeling may
be a better method. There is still a complete menu of solid commands such as
revolve and extrude with a lot of sub menu choices and all the usual
suspects and solid boolean commands which makes the actual surface modeling
transparent if you are using the program as a solid modeler. There is just
an additional menu of surface commands and the ability to enclose surfaces
into solids. Generally I am using the drawing commands for precission data
entry and making a surface from the lines, then going to the solid commands
to create the solids and tapered parts.

       Beyond variable fillets and shell commands the thing that got my
Pay Pal transaction was the complete control of the loft command which never
fails. I use it to morph airfoils along a wing, make intake ports  radiator
ducting or a fuselage and know it will always work. I tend to rebuild all
my curves to 360  control points, a hold over from  the couple of weeks
learning the program,
and that may be a contributing factor to my lack of problems with Rhino. I
just don't argue with success.

       I may post a JPG of the current airframe shortly which will be
powered with a quad rotor normally aspirated rotary. Also in the works is a
constant speed PSRU depending on the ratios of the F350  six pinion transfer
case planetary which appears to have advantageous shaft diameters and weight
parameters for a hollow  prop shaft design

george grimes