Help with Rhino

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Misguided Creator
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Help with Rhino

Post by Misguided Creator »

Hi, I'm desperate for some help with RhinoCAD 3D v3/CAM 1.0, I've searched, I believe, every tutorial on the internet, but cannot find one to help me set-up for plasma. I bought it on ebay a while back with an open license, (I believe)?, so I can't get support from Rhino. I took AutoCAD and ProE, hoping to get an idea on how to use Rhino, since it seems to be pretty relative. Learning the CAD part of it, is something else I'm trying to work through, tho.
What I am needing help with, right now, is: 1. setting up a box stock, and placing an imported DXF in it/on it ?? 2. setting up my plasma as the tool, and using the library, etc.....Basically, the CAM part of the operation for plasma.
I use Flashcut controls for my table, and AutoCAD for drawing, what I've been cutting, and offsetting my lines for kerf. but it's a student version that's about to expire. Any direction, instruction, screen shots, or whatever help you can give me would be extremely appreciated! Please let me know, and thank you.....Mike
trucutcnc
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by trucutcnc »

Are you using RhinoCAM? It's a CAM plugin for Rhino by MecSoft. McNeel doesn't have a CAM version of Rhino.

Rhino3D V5 just released. We have been using V4 for at least 10 years. I'm not sure how you even able to dig up a copy of V3....Unless it's not Rhino3d from McNeel $ Associates.
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Ross Carlisle
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by Misguided Creator »

trucutcnc wrote:Are you using RhinoCAM? It's a CAM plugin for Rhino by MecSoft. McNeel doesn't have a CAM version of Rhino.

Rhino3D V5 just released. We have been using V4 for at least 10 years. I'm not sure how you even able to dig up a copy of V3....Unless it's not Rhino3d from McNeel $ Associates.



Yes, I've got Rhino3D V3 w/Flamingo and RhinoCAM 1.0, original cds, downloaded and all. I've talked to MecSoft, and was told that I'd have to buy the software and license in order to get support, which I totally understand, but financially, right now, that's impossible. Therefore I'm needing a little help, so I can make some money with my ideas, so I can afford to the upgrades I need. I've also got a cnc router, but I'm sure it won't be as hard to figure out the set-up, since Rhino is primarily a 3d modeling software, and the CAM plug-is designed for it, plus there's plenty of tuts. for that, and have only found one for plasma, on MecSoft, which has no audio. I'm just looking for some step by step guidance through setting up my drawings and files in the box stock, and how to set-up my plasma as the tool, and save it in the tool library as I mentioned previously. If you could help me out with all your experience, I'd be in your debt! Thanks for your response.......Mike
trucutcnc
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by trucutcnc »

Misguided Creator wrote:
trucutcnc wrote:Are you using RhinoCAM? It's a CAM plugin for Rhino by MecSoft. McNeel doesn't have a CAM version of Rhino.

Rhino3D V5 just released. We have been using V4 for at least 10 years. I'm not sure how you even able to dig up a copy of V3....Unless it's not Rhino3d from McNeel $ Associates.



Yes, I've got Rhino3D V3 w/Flamingo and RhinoCAM 1.0, original cds, downloaded and all. I've talked to MecSoft, and was told that I'd have to buy the software and license in order to get support, which I totally understand, but financially, right now, that's impossible. Therefore I'm needing a little help, so I can make some money with my ideas, so I can afford to the upgrades I need. I've also got a cnc router, but I'm sure it won't be as hard to figure out the set-up, since Rhino is primarily a 3d modeling software, and the CAM plug-is designed for it, plus there's plenty of tuts. for that, and have only found one for plasma, on MecSoft, which has no audio. I'm just looking for some step by step guidance through setting up my drawings and files in the box stock, and how to set-up my plasma as the tool, and save it in the tool library as I mentioned previously. If you could help me out with all your experience, I'd be in your debt! Thanks for your response.......Mike
RhinoCAM is not the best for plasma work. It is designed more for milling where you design one part and mill one part. With plasma, we rarely cut one part. If you really want to get up and running fast, get a copy of SheetCAM. It's cheap and outside of Striker or SigmaNest, it's about the best software out there for plasma work.

We use RhinoV5 and SheetCAM every day. I'm not sure anyone is going to be able to help you much with these old versions. Things have changed quite a bit over the years. I spent some time with MecSoft tech on setting up RhinoCAM last year, but when I realized it wasn't going to work for plasma production work, I never went any further with it.
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Ross Carlisle
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by Misguided Creator »

Thank for the tip, I'm wanting to get SheetCAM, but that too, will have to wait a bit...$$. I guess I'll have to get more familiar with my CorelDraw 9 for my back-up, it seems alot of people on here use it. I'll just use the Rhino for my Router table then. I was really hoping it would make a good all-in-one software for both of my tables. Thanks again for your response, all tho, I'm disappointed, at least I'll stop stressing on it, and concentrate more on Corel for my plasma.
trucutcnc
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by trucutcnc »

You can still draw your parts in Rhino, which is leaps and bounds better than Corel. You just need something to generate GCode. When you draw in Corel, what are you using to generate your plasma GCode.

BobCAD/CAM V25 is also an option. V25 has lots of new features that make it a lot more user friendly than V24. It also has shape nesting.
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Ross Carlisle
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by Misguided Creator »

So far, I've only used Corel for some tracing a couple of times. I do everything in AutoCAD; draw, offsets, manual nesting, and some lead-ins. My FlashCut CNC controller (generic) software generates the g-code for me, nad hasn't been bad for me. Besides, it's the only way I've known, again having to figure all that out on my own as well, due to crappy customer support. I have LazyCAM, but I can't get FlashCut to recognize it's g-code. I think drawing in Rhino would be much better also, once I learn it. I'm fanatical about precision, and not sure if Corel will live up to it, anyway, just thought it'd be a quick learn, compared to Rhino. At the moment, it just seems a little overwhelming, since it's alot more different than AutoCAD and ProE, than I thought it would be. I've got to build a little capital, before I can buy anymore software, but SheetCAM is probably the gonna be the 1st on my list.
EverydayDiesel
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Re: Help with Rhino

Post by EverydayDiesel »

trucutcnc wrote: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:24 pm RhinoCAM is not the best for plasma work.
Hello, I am unsure why people say this. I am new to cad however I am up and running with Rhino3d + RhinoCAM. It allows me to draw 3d objects and extract them out to a 2d surface (for plasma cutting) and even nest them. I can even create the g-code right from rhino (All though I have not tried this). Maybe it has changed a lot with the new rhino v7 but so far I am really enjoying it!
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