Benson Shaw Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) When a NURBS surface is displayed in Wire Frame view or highlighted for selection, there are faint intermediate "lines" which help visualize the surface. Do they have a name? What are they called? In some surfaces, they appear more or less perpendicular to the edges of the surface. In other surfaces, they angle away from perpendicular. They do not seem to intersect the surface edges at edge vertices or, in the case of lofts, at vertices of the creation curves. It would be great if they could "land" at edge vertices or provide snap points on the surface or the edges. I might wish for this, but doing a bit of research first. -B Edited March 10, 2014 by Benson Shaw Quote Link to comment
Kevin McAllister Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) They're called isoparametric curves. Here's an excerpt from the Rhino getting started guide - "In wireframe view, surfaces look like a set of crossing curves. These curves are called isoparametric curves or isocurve. These curves help you visualize the shape of the surface. Isoparametric curves do not define the surface the way the polygons do in a polygon mesh. They are merely a visual aid that allows you to see the surface on the screen." Kevin (The Rhino getting started guide has some great definitions of NURBS including trimmed and untrimmed surfaces.) Edited March 10, 2014 by Kevin McAllister Quote Link to comment
Benson Shaw Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Cool! Thanks, Kevin. -B Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.