Rohit Sharma wrote:
> 
> Is Rhino specifically for comceptual mechnanical design ? If yes then what
> features make it ideal for conceptual design ?


Rhino is a powerful conceptual design and modeling tool for industrial
and product designers. Here are some of its features:

- combines the accuracy of traditional CAD with the flexibility of
spline-based modeling technology,
- surface and solid modeling capabilities comparable with software
costing tens of thousands of dollars (uses the same technology as
Alias),
- very easy to use,
- allows for precision modeling with coordinate input,
- supports script inputs,
- contains one of the best IGES translators on the market,
- supports many CAD file formats, including AutoCad 2000, enhanced
support for CATIA, Parasolid and ACIS,
- uses 'Gazelle', a proprietary, high speed, nonlinear optimization
technology for surface creation, fitting, and deformation,
- contains extensive set of sophisticated surface analysis tools,
including draft angle, zebra stripes, environment map, Gaussian
curvature, mean curvature, minimum and maximum radius of curvature,
area, centroid, moments, etc.,
- very stable and robust, developed over last 6 years with an input from
over 110000 users, 
- can be used to make FEA mesh,
- unbelievably inexpensive (only US$795).

After my long pursuit for the best conceptual design tool, I can say
that I have found it in Rhino. It is an ideal companion to many CAD,
CAM, FEA, 3D digitizing, and rapid prototyping tools, and it does a
great job in our product development and FEA consulting practice.
It is really worth trying - you can download the fully functional
evaluation copy from
http://ftp.mcneel.com/cgi-bin/rhino/eval_download.cgi?0034 . The
evaluation copy allows for 15 unlimited uses of the software. After that
you can continue to use the software but the saving is disabled.  

-- 
John Schindler, P.Eng.   |  SCHINDLER TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
      President          |  Finite Element Analysis Specialists
                         |  Canadian Cosmos/M & Rhino Dealers
                         |  Tel. 905-415-8106; Fax 905-415-9102
   [log in to unmask]      |       http://schindler.ica.net


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> 
> > sblin wrote:
> >
> > > Is there some kinds of software supporting the mechanical
> > > product design at its earlier stage such as plan design?
> > > Is there a free small software supporting feature based design, such
> > > as defining and compiling the features, or even recoganizing features?
> >
> > I find Rhino to be a very good package for the mechanical conceptual
> > design. You can download a working evaluation from www.rhino3d.com



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