Clay Tools

Clay Tools for Rhino

CommentWe have just finished an evaluation of the Clay Tools for Rhino and for what it is worth, this is my opinion. The suggestion that Rhino and Clay Tools is somehow integrated is pushing things. The link extends to a file write from Rhino to Clay Tools via a button in the Rhino GUI. The same could be achieved from any package that exports STL format. There is a possibility that this will be enhanced with the release of the Rhino SDK for V4. For my use as a product designer there was little application I could put it to. It is truly a sculpting tool and not a precise modelling tool. Please do not misunderstand me though. As a sculpting tool it is a very clever device and the software is equally clever but you must be able to sculpt in the real world to do it in the virtual world. One area that I found particularly interesting was the application of 3D texturing to regions on a model. This had nothing to do with the haptics and everything to do with the Clay Tools software. The limitation of the Clay Tools is also that it works in voxels and can not return data to NURBS. The high end version of the Sensable software can do voxel to NURBS in a semi-automated fashion but it requires some work. Over all, a clever idea that has some way to go and is very much limited to sculpting not as I was looking for which was a haptic interface for Rhino modelling. If it is able to do what you want, it is not an expensive product. [Mark H. - 2005-11-16]

CommentI have it on my desk right now, and it's awesome. You will need a BIIIIG box to run it on, (4 gb ram and dual xeons are recommended) but for what it is it's awesome. I do Alot of toy work, and find it perfect for adding details to models that are going to sla, zcorp, cnc, etc...The texture mapping is awesome, and being able to "sand" out a blemish, or smooth a complicated transition surface is a piece of cake, not a 3 hr nurbs nightmare. For the money I would HIGHLY recommend it. [Kyle - 2005-11-16]