I am an avid CAD guy and I have always kept up with TurboCAD Pro's upgrades, but in the last couple of years I have sort of changed my focus to 3D modeling and rendering in programs like Lightwave and Carrara. So I let my upgrades of TurboCAD wain for a couple of years since it wasn't part of my work flow anymore. Now I am looking to get back into CAD modeling and have been looking at Rhino. I am very interested in getting MoI, but am wondering, since I plan to move to Rhino, do I need MoI or are the meshing tools in Rhino just as good for Lightwave as MoI is?

Even though I haven't upgraded TurboCAD in a while I still use it regularly for its 2D drawing functions, so before anyone says I only need MoI, I actually need to have a full CAD package.

Hi Drakonsden,

> do I need MoI or are the meshing tools in Rhino just
> as good for Lightwave as MoI is?

Well, there are a quite a few Rhino users who have purchased MoI just specifically to use its much better mesh generation technology so that should tell you something about this particular area.

Here are a couple of comparisons in meshing between Rhino and MoI from some other people:

http://www.renderology.com/?p=144
http://forums.luxology.com/discussion/topic.aspx?id=23798


But I would encourage you to do some side-by-side testing yourself, try exporting one of your models to LWO format from both Rhino and MoI and compare the results.

- Michael

If you can handle a traditional AutoCad like environment for your 2d, Dassault will give you DraftSight for free.

http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/draftsight-overview/#vid1

they work well together.
If you need cad functionality then you will need rhino, to deal with DXF, DWG etc.
Plus rhino is pretty decent at 2d drafting, if you are familiar with Acad.
If you want to export LWO meshes, you should also get moi, moi's meshing is much superior.
Also, the workflow is imo much superior for a lot of modelling tasks. Rhino has a bigger toolset, but for 90% of modelling tasks, moi is faster.
You can work with both together, it is just a matter of copy/paste from one window to the other.

Yes, I use both. I do architectural work so I have to do 2d working drawings as well as modeling

Rhino became my tool when I quit AutoCad after 25 years.

Now I use MoI for most of my modeling and Rhino for drafting and other odds and ends. The drafting part of Rhino is really pretty good.

DraftSight is a pretty good, too, for a free drafting program so one does not really need Rhino ... though I have had some trouble printing with DraftSight.

I know I will have to think hard before the next version of Rhino comes on the market ... I am using it less and less.

cheers,
eric

Hi eric, in regards to DraftSight can you bring in 3d models for drafting or is it purely 2d only ?

Cheers

Why not this free version ?
Seems more powerful ;)
http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXTv2/tabid/1100/Default.aspx
http://www.doublecad.com/Showcase/Gallery/tabid/1420/Default.aspx

# Open & save .DWG, .DXF, and .DWF formats from AutoCAD
Superior workflow with Google™ SketchUp and SketchUp Pro

Thanks to all who answered.

Michael, the first link you gave shows exactly the problems I have had with exports from CAD programs to OBJ format. In fact the products I am trying to get models for are very similar to the ones shown in the first link. Round items with holes in them. The areas around the holes never come out correctly no matter how I have tried. I love the results that MoI gives in comparison to the Rhino output. I am sold on MoI and as soon as I get the money it is going to be my first investment. I can deal with the TurboCAD Pro I have now for a little longer if I can get meshes that clean from MoI. There is no comparison. Thank you.

# Open & save .DWG, .DXF, and .DWF formats from AutoCAD
Superior workflow with Google™ SketchUp and SketchUp Pro

------------------------------------------------

Thanks Frenchy, I have used DoubleCad XT v1 but didn't know about the SketchUp import in v2.

They are pretty ballsy on their gallery page. They are using a sample file that comes with the ACad installation to show the flexibility of their annotations. I'm sure Autodesk would take exception to that if they saw it.

The thing I like about DraftSight is it works almost exactly like ACad. Even the buttons look the same. I am old and set in my ways.

Hi Danny ...

It is a 2d program ... and it won't import directly from MoI. It would be helpful if MoI could export dxf files ...

One day, perhaps.

cheers,
eric

Hi,

Draftsight has the ability to read 3d objects, so you can dimension and detail it.
But yes, it only imports Dwg/ASCII binary dxf.

There's also has a script to export 2d curves from Moi3d in dxf.

Marc

Talking from own experience i find the combinarion Rhino+Moi to be very powerful.
I love both these two programs, they are my favorite tools.
Anyways, I can mention a few important things Moi does which Rhino doesnt:

- G2 og G3 -fillets

- Optimized N-Gon meshing?

- Runs straight from a memory stick and can open both files from Rhino and Moi(!!!)

- ACIS (.sat) import / eksport (Rhino has only export)

- Shelling (Rhino 5 will get shelling, but it remains to see how well it will work)

- Very nice shading options which makes it easy to show your model clearly and nicely with a few mouse/tablet clicks.


The two programs have different systems dealing with the geometry, so sometimes boolean operations will work in Moi and not in Rhino and vice versa.
Rhino has Grasshopper, dimensioning, layout pages and a whole bunch of other useful things.

If pure precice modeling is what you need, you may do fine with "only" Moi.
If anything, i will say that you will not do anything wrong by having both, they are simply amazing programs at a very nice price.


Best,
Fredrik