Thread: Rhino/MadCAM

I use Rhino with RhinoCAM without problems, have you tried that?. I'm looking at the MadCAM site now, contemplating downloading the trial version.

Also, just saw there's a support forum at cnczone, might be worth a try - MadCAM

G'day D..

I've had a real quick look at RhinoCAM, but not in depth (time restraints at the moment). I've made a note to check it out a bit more in depth at a later date. Good to hear that it doesn't seem to have problems.

My initial thoughts are that Rhino isn't the problem (except the ones I create in not knowing what I'm doing), but MadCAM is the hangup. Again though, it may be something I do (or NOT do), but as with all new software learning, it's a matter of figuring out where the problem lays.

I'll check out the CNCzone too, it's always a good source of information there

Thanks for your input

Update... I tried version 4.whatever with Rhino 4 and it came up with toolpaths for fairly complex stuff first time. Admittedly I haven't given it much of a chance, but compared to RhinoCAM the toolpaths seemed inefficient, and I really didn't like how 2.5d machining appears to require 3d geometry. In RhinoCAM if you want a rectangular pocket you can simply draw a 2d rectangle on the C-plane and work from that. It seems that MadCAM requires surfaces to do the same thing, so there can be quite a lot more work to get to the same result.

Is the 6000mm radius dish for guitar backs?

Just a thought with that dish... have you definitely drawn it facing the right direction? I can see toolpath generation potentially getting lost if it's looking at something like that side on.

Hi D,

I've got the toolpaths to generate finally... it took about 20 minutes for 2 passes - a roughing pass and a finishing pass. To me, that seems way too long - Aspire would do a similar thing in around 30 seconds.

The vectors are the right way around, that much I'm sure of, so I'm generating the correct axis, and yes, this is a radius dish for guitars that I've been asked to make.
So far the tightest radius has been 15' (no problems in TP calculations on that) and this one is 12'

All good that it's finally worked itself out, but this is not the first time this sort of 'bug' has occurred.

Oh yeah.... RhinoCAM - much, MUCH better!

I tried it this morning. I got the basics of it, generated some code for a roughing pass/finishing pass and did a simulation in about the same time it took MadCAM to think about the process.

Thanks for the help D

That's quite a difference

Keep at it with Rhino. I find it much more user friendly and intuitive than AutoCAD even for 2d work, and fantastic for 3d of course, and with RhinoCAM you can get away with surprisingly little 3d. For example, toolpaths for something like a T-style guitar body could be done purely with 2d curves.

Ok, a bit of fiddling around in Rhino and RhinoCam, and here's the result.

It's not great, but I'm pretty happy with it in general as a test, but I still have a long way to go before I'm happy with my Rhino skills.

The carving is done from 2 pieces of 18mm ply glued together because I had a piece of scrap that was laying around. Terrible stuff to carve, but it served a purpose

Hi John
Not bad for your first go with rhino. As DPM suggested you can do most things in 2d with curves and do some isolated parts in 3d. This will make the cnc run quicker and a better finish is what i have found.
Which rhino are you running 4 or 5?

R

Thanks Rusel,

Yeah, pretty happy with the (almost) first time around effort. I've pottered around with it previously, but found it was way too complicated for most of the stuff I do - which is normally 2d - so I usually turf it aside and and think I'll get back to it at a later point. This is the first serious effort.

I have version 4 which I bought a couple of years ago. I've only tried working with it 6 or 8 times over that period, but I'm slowly learning the commands and how to pick points in a 3d space

AM
Malibu I also run version 4 with cam and I reckon I can do most things with it. Well more then my cnc or me can do and I would be luck to know 20% of the commands, try and learn a new one each week.


R

Originally Posted by rusel

try and learn a new one each week.

That's good advice... It seems I'm trying to learn a command every minute

This morning was 'surface from curve network' and 'project', both of which helps with a lot of designs (U-tube is my best friend at the moment!)

Here's the latest test design for no particular reason apart from getting some commands sorted out...

The neck-headstock transition is the hardest part, at least on my designs. The most effective approach I've found is splitting it into 3 areas and using patch and/or curve network surfaces. The main thing is to ensure you don't get any dips, which you check for using zebra and environment map analysis (polished silver seems to show up weird stuff nicely).

hstrans.JPG

Originally Posted by dpm

The neck-headstock transition is the hardest part, at least on my designs. The most effective approach I've found is splitting it into 3 areas and using patch and/or curve network surfaces. The main thing is to ensure you don't get any dips, which you check for using zebra and environment map analysis (polished silver seems to show up weird stuff nicely).

Yeah, the transition was the killer for me too... I tried loft, but with that command, the transition from a semi-circle to a square edge was too much to be smooth. It may also be the design because I only did simple curves rather than a proper design. That's something I can work on at a later stage

I'll try your suggestions and see how I go (Tomorrow I think - I'm completely Rhino'd out at the moment! )