SolidWorks or Rhino ?
SolidWorks or Rhino ?
(OP)
What is the difference between Rhino and SolidWorks ?. They both handle surfaces. What does SW do that Rhino does not.
Thanks for your help.
Thanks for your help.
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RE: SolidWorks or Rhino ?
Note: MDT has a very fair surfacing capability and the AutoCad capability to produce annotated drawings
plus some other functionality that has yet to be available in IV (as at IV5.3). This and other considerations is why MDT will be around for some time yet despite the marketing hype. I know one IV user who produces his drawings in MDT!
Cavet ..SW2003 and IV6 are both due out by Nov 2002. I do expect substantial improvements but sadly both companies do have a history of producing additional bells and whistles rather than fixing documented failings and introducing new (core) functionality.
Rhinoceros 3D, which costs a fraction of the price of even stand-alone Autocad, is a non-parametric nurbs surfacing package that allows unresticted freeform modelling. If you had the artistic skill you could model a car, ship or plane and if you had the engineering skills the car, ship or plane could become a design reality. For most of us it's molds, electric handtools, consumer goods and the like.
Rhino3D is often used as a utility. You could take a component done in Rhino into your core package or model the base in your core package then take it into Rhino for complex surfacing. Rhino opens and saves (or imports and exports or whatever) in about 26 formats so consultants or small shops can keep a seat of Rhino as a file translation utility and conceivably never draw with it.
SW has a free download plug-in to allow Rhino to open and save SW files.
Rhino has recently got together with IronCad and now has a Rhino3D-Inovate deal that gives solid modelling capability along with the excellent surfacing capability. Currently you can buy the bundle for $1,690 (support included).
Rhino uses NURBS surfaces but beware ..AutoCad mentions NURBS a lot but they are talking about curves and they can't produce NURBS surfaces. Also watch ..you may be able to make a surface or import a surface in some other package that claims surfacing capabilities but you may not be able to edit that surface. Rhino's strength is surface modelling.
I found out about Rhino in an AutoCad forum ..someone advising someone else how to get out of a jamb.
Rhino provides a free download of their latest version which allows 25 saves and continues to work without the save facilty. There are three tutorials included that can be brought up onto the screen while you work in the editor. This makes all the difference when you are trying the package out.
Rhino give students and teachers a good deal on a full version and allow (demand!) that the student install it on their office computer when they get a job or during their internships or whatever. The new kid churns out the goods, the employer orders more seats, the new kid trains the older hands (they teach the kid how to draft!) ..it's win-win-win.
Rhino3D ver3 probably due out Nov 2002. I suspect that a seat that has Rhino3D and IntelliCad (for the 2D drawing output) would be a powerful and economic combination. I further suspect that by the end of 2003 this combination will probably run under the Windows emulater Wine on a Unix box.
Well that's my take. I look forward to hearing others views.
All the best,
Aussie John.
RE: SolidWorks or Rhino ?