Is Rhino the software for this?

[csd]

I am an Interior Architecture and furniture design student, fairly competent in 2D (less so in 3D) AutoCAD but am very new to Rhino. I have found someone that has done something very similar to what I am trying to achieve, and was advised that Rhino might be the software that will help me.

I'm looking to create a screen similar to this, constructed from laser cut PET plastic:
http://www.biothing.org/biothing.swf
(Images 1, 5 and 0 illustrate best what I am trying to do.)

Is there a (relatively) easy way to get Rhino to pick out intersection points on curves, make incisions so they can be slotted together and explode it into individual pieces so they can be lasercut and assembled?

Hopefully this makes some kind of sense, and if anyone can point me in the right direction, it would be very much appreciated

[High Seas]

I haven't look at these tuts in detail - but seems like RHINO is the thing!
http://www.biothing.org/wiki/doku.php?id=tutorials
Hope that helps - maybe you've been down this track already?
Welcome aboard! Jim