Hey Fellas

[stealthshooter]

Hey Guys.

I'm new to the forum and also new to any software. I recently bought a 2x2 machine with a prototyping probe and it came with Rhino 4.0 and Rhinocam. I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on where would be the best place to start learning this software? I've been reading good things about both it's capability as a CAD program and it's capabilities when it comes to making tool paths. What are your thoughts?

Thanks much!

[LN-JET]

Hello, and welcome on board!
I have this software combination too, and I really like it.
If you are doing a lot of 2.5D work, cutting sheets etc, I hope you have Rhinocam2 because of the bridge function.
The best way to learn (besides getting a local tutor) is by starting with some small projects, and follow tutorials. The help menus are a great resource for both programs.
Rhinocam is the same as Visualmill, so any information from that side is also useful.

What type of of work are you looking at, and what cad-experience do you have?

Regards

Lars

[stealthshooter]

I do indeed have the 2.0 version of the software. I have very little experience with CAD/CAM. Here are a few pics of the part/pieces i'll be building.

[LN-JET]

Great stuff!
The aluminum parts are quite basic, but the organic shape of the laminated grips will take some time to master. Rhino should be well suited for both type of products.

I had a look in the help files, and both Rhino and Rhinocam have very useful guides on how to get going. This is where I would start. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The fact that you are able to make the stuff for own use or to sell, should be a great motivation factor!

Look for the "Getting started" in the help menu of Rhino, and in the Rhinocam menu next to it.

Lars

[stealthshooter]

Thank you Sir. I ended up with Rhino because it came with my prototyping probe. I purchased the probe to copy my grips because I knew they were going to be very hard for me to duplicate in CAD. I have yet to use the probe so I don't know how Rhino will deal with the info but as I understand it after it copies the part there should be little for me to do before I can start producing them.

[LN-JET]

What type of probe is it?
Propably it will generate a whole lot of points, and it is up to you to draw the outlines and generate surfaces. This can sometimes be done easy, but can just as easily get frustrating. You can create a mesh from points, and machine from this, but to get good definition you need a lot of points.

Using a caliper and some carefully taken photos can often take you far.
The laminations in the wood works as waterlines. If you draw around them from a photo and put them in the right z-level, you will soon get the basic shape of the grips.

Lars

Originally Posted by stealthshooter but as I understand it after it copies the part there should be little for me to do before I can start producing them.

[stealthshooter]

It's a touch probe. Everything I have been reading says Rhino will take the point cloud and convert it into a usable surface. I guess we will see!