Ok I'll stop bothering everybody now. It turned out to be quite easy in the end. Amazing software!

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

> Its getting much smoother now.

It has come along well!

Sorry it has been kind of difficult for me to help you since constructing a car is a rather large complex project. I can more easily help you with more specific individual details.

It looks like you have made a lot of progress already though!

- Michael


P.S - please post image attachments as .jpg like in your last file instead of .bmp - .bmp image files are much much larger and take longer to download.

Made my car less the grill. I was going to put it on using Carrara's texture mapping feature except it doesn't work of course.
Keith

Hi
I have finally made a car. A little bit of Paint Shop Pro but 99% Moi. Thanks for all the help people.
Keith

Well done.

Hi
I made the airship and building with MoI
Keith

Good job Keith.

Would you say the Rhino tutorial works as-is for MoI? If not, what did you do differently?

I want to try making a car as well.

Ed

Turned out very nicely Keith!

- Michael

Hi Ed.
The tutorial that Michael sent me on making the Audi TT was pretty good. I learned a lot about lofting and sweeping.

If I was going to make another I would have paid much more attention to lining up the centre of the car on one of the grid lines as I eventually mirrored one side of the car to form the other. As it is much easiser to make the hood in one piece than to make two halfs the centerline is critical.

The other thing that turned out to be of major importance was getting the shared points and curbs spot on. Its very easy to fail to join objects along their edges. The 3d view is good for this as its not always to align in the three planes at once in any other view.

You will find that its difficult (possibly impossible) to make some of the surfaces in the way that Rhino does. I found that I had to lean to use the trim tool to cut lines in such a way that it was possible to male sweeps and lofts that were not in the Rhino instructions.

I still don't fully understand how to use the sweep, loft and area tools properly but can get by. It is entirely possible that there would be more efficient ways of using them and in making the same car. If you want any help I do what I can. You can post here or contact me off the forum if you prefer.

Hope some of this helps.
Keith

1267.30 In reply to 1267.28
Hi Ed.
The tutorial that Michael sent me on making the Audi TT was pretty good. I learned a lot about lofting and sweeping.

If I was going to make another I would have paid much more attention to lining up the centre of the car on one of the grid lines as I eventually mirrored one side of the car to form the other. As it is much easiser to make the hood in one piece than to make two halfs the centerline is critical.

The other thing that turned out to be of major importance was getting the shared points and curbs spot on. Its very easy to fail to join objects along their edges. The 3d view is good for this as its not always to align in the three planes at once in any other view.

You will find that its difficult (possibly impossible) to make some of the surfaces in the way that Rhino does. I found that I had to lean to use the trim tool to cut lines in such a way that it was possible to male sweeps and lofts that were not in the Rhino instructions.

I still don't fully understand how to use the sweep, loft and area tools properly but can get by. It is entirely possible that there would be more efficient ways of using them and in making the same car. If you want any help I do what I can. You can post here or contact me off the forum if you prefer.

Hope some of this helps.
Keith