[pshupe]

Hello - total newb here. I model a lot in AutoCAD but mainly for architectural stuff which doesn't have a lot of curves.

My dad has recently purchased a CNC machine and I want to model up some guitar objects and try and machine them. I'm starting with a fretboard. I have drawn a planar curve that is the profile of the large end and extruded the planar curve to a solid. I have tapered the edges by drawing plines and extruding and then using the intersection tool to remove the tapered portion.

Now I am trying to use the same boolean function - intersection to subtract a solid from the fretboard to remove the fret slots. I have made one fret solid to be subtracted from the fretboard but it gives me a boolean error.

The funny thing is I have made the solid the same as I usually do, and used the boolean intersection command to remove the bottom portion so that the bottom of the fret is curved to the save radius as the top of the fret board. Then I move it down the necessary distance and use the boolean - intersection command again, and no dice. It gives me an error. Here is the file showing what I want to do. Thanks for any tips

Is the boolean command finicky? In Autocad it is straight forward and I can do this with one command and very quickly.

Cheers Peter.

PS - it's funny you cannot upload a 3dm file????

[EHNisja]

There's something going on with the fret board. I would rebuild it and try again. I ran the intersect command on it and then exploded it. It would trim with the curve but not join back into a good polysurface.

[Reyad]

there is some problem in connection in the big object
so you need to explode it then re join it it will work will. i tried it

[U2fletch]

Since you are making a fretboard have you considered the idea of starting with a conical shape? A guitar fretboard will have a compound radius if the strings truly follow the bridge and nut profile and all the frets in between. The strings will lie on the surface of a cone. The effective radius at the nut will be smaller than at the bridge.

Other than that however, Boolean subtraction can sometimes be finicky. Have you tried using the Trim tool instead? Trim seems to be less particular, although it does require a little more effort deleting the pieces you don't want.

[pshupe]

Thanks guys -

reyad - thanks for the tips I'll take a look at that. I am very new to Rhino so I can see I will have some challenges.

U2fletch - the fretboard I am making is for a Les Paul replica which does not have a conical radius. It is 12" radius consistently and just tapers each side.

Thanks again guys I will check the large fretboard solid and see if I can straighten it out.

Regards Peter.

[U2fletch]

Peter,

I can also confirm that if you just explode the piece and then rejoin, it will work just fine. Don't know why, but something internal gets reset and it's happy again.

Thanks for the clarification about the Les Paul, funny how some builders build flat, and others go for the conical. I never thought about it much until I tried to model a fretboard and started thinking about what is going on with the nut vs. bridge width and string height.

Have fun with the project!

Jeff

[pshupe]

Thanks Burrman - that completely clears it up. I really appreciate the video. I guess I'm a little dense! I have no idea how I ended up with that small curvature. It "should" be a straight line and hence a rectangle. I used a boolean to cut that piece out of there. I drew a line from intersection Thanks again I really appreciate the effort in taking the time to do that video.

This is supposed to be the easy part of the guitar.
I still have to figure out the neck transition piece and the carved top. I am really enjoying rhino. I find it a good combination of ACAD and MAX. Thanks again.

Cheers Peter.

[BurrMan]

I have no idea how I ended up with that small curvature. It "should" be a straight line and hence a rectangle. I used a boolean to cut that piece out of there. I drew a line from intersection

Remeber it's ok to have the shallow curve. It just needs more "definition" on the innards of the curve.

This is supposed to be the easy part of the guitar.
I still have to figure out the neck transition piece and the carved top. I am really enjoying rhino. I find it a good combination of ACAD and MAX. Thanks again.

Cheers Peter

LOL. Well, a guitar will be a good, more complex design, so when your done, you should be pretty good with it. Dont rush past any part that seems "sticky". Figure that part out.

Good luck.

[pshupe]

No - it has to be straight, is supposed to be straight. I'm not sure what happened there. Will start over and see how it goes.

Yeah - that is the plan - figure it all out. I, thought, I was pretty good with 3d. I am liking rhino it is much more precise than MAX for modeling.

Thanks a lot.

Cheers Peter.

[BurrMan]

sweep the neck - YouTube

I had some time to re-sweep the neck out...

[pshupe]

Thanks a lot - I will try and duplicate that.

Cheers Peter.