Hi Keith,

> 1. When I use the Edit/Join function am I trying to join surfaces, lines or points?

It can be used on either surfaces or curves (lines) - when you use Join you will glue together 2 (or more) separate objects into one composite object. The new object still contains different pieces, but now it will select as a single object. Also there are some operations that you will want joined objects for. For example filleting can work easiest when it is applied to an edge that is shared between 2 neighboring faces. To get a shared edge you use Join. When objects are not joined, MoI does not have the information about which edges are actually adjacent to one another, it just sees them as completely separate objects.


> 2. I have been trimming lines so that I am able to use the sweep and loft
> function, does doing so break up things that have been formerly joined?

Nope, it shouldn't - it will carve it into different smaller pieces but it won't automatically break apart at joined areas, those joins should persist until you use Edit / Separate.


> 3. In the tutorial you posted on building an Audi the car is devoid of surfaces throughout.
> Is it better to build things without surfaces for any reason other than because you can
> see the background picture?

There actually are surfaces in that tutorial - they are just being displayed in wireframe mode since that is kind of the default way that things display in Rhino.


> I like to see the surfaces as I make them but this might be
> because I lack confidence.

It is generally good to see the surfaces. You can often times detect more details about the surface quality by seeing them shaded earlier. Things like ripples and bumps are hard to see in a wireframe display.

I actually did quite a lot of work to make MoI function smoothly in a shaded type display.


> 4. The Audi tutorial makes reference to making sweeps and blends that I have
> been unable to replicate. Does Rhino have some functions that Moi does not
> or does Moi implement the same functions in a different way?

There are quite a few things that Rhino has that MoI does not have yet. But MoI does do sweeping and blending, if you have gotten stuck on one particular thing, can you please post a .3dm model file of it and I will take a look and give you some advice.

Hope this helps!

- Michael