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Clayoo: Modeling Clay for Rhino

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Freeform and organic shape modeling can be fun. If you have the right tools. In Organic Shape Modeling for Engineers (in the June issue of Design World magazine), I wrote about several really interesting tools. One that I didn’t write about (because it wasn’t generally available in time for printing deadlines) was Clayoo, from TDM Solutions.

Clayoo is a Subdivision (SubD) surface modeler that runs inside of Rhino. If you know what SubD surface modeling is, you probably have a good grasp of what Clayoo can do. If you don’t know what SubD surface modeling is, then maybe this will help: It’s like modeling by hand.

Let me explain a bit better: NURBS surfaces can be quite precise. But they’re not easy to model in a push-pull fashion. SubD surfaces are easy to model in a push-pull fashion. But, they’re difficult to make precise (such as when you need an interface between parts. The best of all worlds, then, is to have a SubD modeler that runs inside of a NURBS modeler.

Clayoo is ideal for creating complex freeform shapes, in architecture, jewelry, consumer products, toys, aerospace, marine, furniture, or art. And, while there are any number of SubD surface modeling tools out there that can be used to create freeform shapes, Clayoo has the advantage of being integrated into Rhino, a precise NURBS modeler. With Clayoo, you end up with a Rhino object that’s in traditional NURBS brep form, and that can be used downstream with any other CAD/CAM/CAE product that supports NURBS surfaces and solids. Clayoo surfaces also work with standard Rhino tools, for example, these surface analysis tools:

With Clayoo, you can start with any geometry: surfaces, solids, meshes, or sketches. It also supports a retopology function, which allows you to build clean Clayoo surfaces (and, thereafter, NURBS) on top of poor quality scan data or STL meshes. It’s a pretty neat trick: you end up with a finely-tuned lightweight surface, built the way you want it (rather than the way some translation software wants it.)

Here’s a video, showing the construction of a Clayoo surface on top of an STL model of a car hood:

Clayoo is rather similar to another third-party add-on for Rhino: T-Splines, which was recently acquired by Autodesk. There are some mathematical differences between the approaches used in T-Splines and Clayoo, but, in practical use, the tools can produce similar results. Clayoo is still in beta form (available at www.clayoo.com), and it’s likely to mature, and get new capabilities over time.

Modo learns to speak NURBS

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NURBS may be the standard surface representation for CAD, but that doesn’t mean they’re ideal for all design jobs.

For conceptual design of organic shapes (for example, a motorcycle tank), there are certainly better choices. One surface type that’s become popular for this is the Sub-D, or subdivision surface.

Modo, from Luxology, is a 3D modeling, rendering, painting, and animation application that’s particularly popular with designers, because of its artist-friendly way of working. It uses SubD surfaces. Now, with the addition of a plugin developed by IntegrityWare, Modo SubD surfaces can be converted to NURBS surfaces, and exported via IGES, SAT, STEP, and Rhino file format to CAD systems.

If your job is to design beautiful things that can be manufactured, you ought to look at Modo. It’s far more fun to use than most CAD programs.

Luxology’s press release follows:

 

Luxology Ships Power SubD-NURBS for modo

Exporter Lets Users Prototype Virtually Any Organic Surface in modo and Convert the Results into NURBS-based File Formats 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — April 19, 2012 — Luxology® LLC today announced the immediate availability of Power SubD-NURBS for modo®, a plug-in that allows designers to automatically convert Subdivision surface meshes into NURBS-based CAD formats that can be exported directly to standard CAD systems.

Developed for Luxology by San Diego’s IntegrityWare, Power SubD-NURBS bridges the worlds of highly flexible Subdivision surface modeling and CAD-accurate NURBS representations. With this new plug-in for modo, industrial designers in the early stages of the design process can quickly create concept models that can be exported and refined within the users’ CAD systems. The plug-in exports IGES, SAT, STEP, and Rhino file formats for compatibility with leading CAD packages. Additionally, modo materials assigned by the designer can be used to derive surface boundaries in the resulting file for maximum control.

“Organic NURBS surfacing is no longer strictly the domain of T-Splines!” said Branden Coker, 3D artist and Power SubD-NURBS beta tester. “When you can model in modo and export at will to your CAD package of choice, you gain a powerful workflow. modo and NURBS are two great tastes that taste great together!”

Power SubD-NURBS comes on the heels of another CAD-centric Luxology product; the CAD Importers for modo. While CAD Importers provides new tools for loading CAD data into modo; Power SubD-NURBS addresses the other side of the equation – the export of parametric surface data from modo into CAD systems. Together, these products allow designers to effectively integrate modo in to the design process as both a flexible organic modeler and as a high-end visualization tool.

Power SubD-NURBS for modo brings my workflow to the next level,” said Pascal Beeckmans, Power SubD-NURBS beta tester. “I can now combine the freedom of Subdivision surface modeling with the superior accuracy of NURBS technology. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Pricing and Availability

Power SubD-NURBS for modo 601 is available immediately for Mac OS X and Windows (32 and 64 bit) at US$595. The plug-in can be purchased on the Luxology website or via authorized Luxology resellers worldwide.

About modo

modo is an innovative 3D modeling, painting, rendering, and animation software designed to accelerate the creation of world-class designs and ultra high-quality renderings. modo’s modern workflow and advanced toolset easily deliver enhanced productivity for design visualization, game development, film/broadcast, package design, and graphic arts. A favorite tool among many designers and artists, modo’s flexible toolset offers one of the fastest paths to content creation on the PC and Mac.

About Luxology

Based in Mountain View, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via artist-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture called Nexus®. Founded in 2002, by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on the company, its licensable Nexus technology, its flagship product modo® and a gallery of images from the active modo community is available online at www.luxology.com.

About IntegrityWare

IntegrityWare Inc. is a company that specializes in high performance, high quality geometric modeling software. Founded in 1996, IntegrityWare Inc. has provided software libraries for successful applications in Optics, CAD, Measurement, Automotive, Data translation, Geological, Architecture, NC, and Design Visualization.

info@luxology.com

www.luxology.com

Giant sculpture created in 3D CAD

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Whether they need a reminder that they’re late or welcome a distraction from the hassle of modern travel, visitors to Sacramento’s International Airport will not miss Denver-based artist Lawrence Argent’s Leap sculpture. Completed recently in the new Corgan Associates-designed Terminal B, the 56-foot-long red rabbit is suspended mid-jump in the building’s three-story central atrium. An oversize “vortical suitcase” placed in the baggage claim below completes the piece. Argent worked with California-based Kreysler & Associates, a specialist in the design, engineering, and fabrication of large-scale sculptural and architectural objects, to build his vision while meeting the airport’s safety requirements.

The team originally planned to build the sculpture with glass fiber composite, but fire codes would have required additional engineering studies to prove it was flame retardant. Additionally, the building was going to be largely enclosed by the time the sculpture was ready for installation, making it impossible to bring the sculpture, which is 14-ft wide and more than 16-ft high, into the building in one piece.

Argent had designed the sculpture as a form composed of hundreds of flat triangles. “The piece lent itself to aluminum as long as we could figure out how to fabricate the pieces,” said Bill Kreysler, who founded the fabrication company in 1982. Working with Argent’s digital renderings, Kreysler’s team translated the design into Rhino software, creating what he calls a semi-monocoque structure with a double-skin of thin aluminum on a thin-ribbed interior aluminum frame. The decorative surface is composed of 1,446 CNC-cut triangles with side dimensions ranging from one in. to three ft. Etched with a numbering system, the triangles were placed using laser-projected grid lines.

“I think that one of the things that is often overlooked in this digital fabrication world is that there’s a sense that because computers are controlling the process, the human element is reduced, but in many ways it’s increased,” said Kreysler, who limited the number of people working on the piece to ensure consistency.

The rabbit’s interior structure was assembled into 14 pieces of varying diameters in the shop, then transported to the airport for assembly. The exterior aluminum triangles are textured with crushed glass to create a velvet-matte surface and float 1½ in. above the interior shell with aluminum standoffs.

Even in the light-filled atrium space the sculpture’s suspension system appears minimal. The concentrated loads coming from seven custom wire rope suspension cables with swage fittings are received by the rabbit’s internal steel armature. Aluminum transverse members then distribute these loads from the steel armature to the monocoque aluminum shell.

Unveiled on October 6, 2011, the new $1.3 billion airport addition is the largest construction project in Sacramento’s history. The rabbit is the centerpiece of the 14 art installations—more than $6 million worth—commissioned by the city’s Metropolitan Arts Commission and planned for completion in the coming years.

Rhino

www.rhino3d.com

Guitar maker uses software for slick designs

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JEH Guitars is a one-man company in Denmark. Owner, Jens Hvidberg, has been designing and manufacturing custom instruments since 2000. Most of his guitars are unique individual pieces. A design and manufacturing process that is fast, easy to use, and responsive to the exacting demands of his customers is critical.

In the past, Hvidberg created many of the guitar bodies by hand while searching for an inexpensive set of CAD and CAM tools to make the process faster and more efficient. Rhino provided him with CAD software with all the capabilities of more expensive commercial applications. T-Splines and RhinoCAM software were the plug-ins he needed to support the art-to-part process.

A recent project included a redesign of a four-string bass into a five-string version with the body cut from a single piece of wood. Using T-Splines, Hvidberg could build a guitar body that could be easily modified. With reference pictures, he moved and changed control points on the T-Splines surface until he obtained the right shape. Final details were added with standard Rhino features.

Using RhinoCAM, it was easy to generate 3D tool paths for CNC machining. First he made the paths for the outline with the profiling feature and the paths for pocketing. Throughout the process, he kept the shape as regular as possible to maintain good fixture points. Actual machining was done with a 3D roughing operation and a finishing operation with a ball end mill. The final finish was created with sandpaper by hand.

Hvidberg said, “These tools make it possible for my customers to go from their own design ideas to the finished product without investing a lot of money. My templates are not hanging on the wall cut out in plywood but are in CAD files. They are easy to change and customize.

JEH Guitars

www.jens-h.dk

T-Splines

www.tsplines.com