Drawings and fabrication output
Models must become drawings and parts. Learn Rhino’s tools for 2D drawings, sections and layouts, and for preparing geometry for laser cutting, CNC and 3D printing.
In this lesson you will
- Create 2D line drawings with Make2D
- Use clipping planes and section tools
- Set up layouts with scaled details
- Prepare geometry for fabrication
Make2D
Make2D creates flat curves of the visible (and optionally hidden) edges of selected objects from a view — plans, elevations and axonometrics as clean line drawings on their own layers, ready for annotation or export to CAD.
Sections and clipping
ClippingPlane cuts the display of a viewport to reveal the inside. Section tools (such as Section for curves through objects, and section styles on clipping planes in recent versions) produce cut lines and fills for plans and sections.
Layouts
Layouts are sheets with details — viewports at set scales (e.g. 1:50). Add title blocks, dimensions and text in the layout, and print to PDF. Set detail scale in Properties and lock it.
Fabrication
- Laser cutting / CNC: flatten parts to 2D curves (
Make2D,DupEdgeon flat faces), nest them on sheets, export DXF/DWG on the layers your fabricator requests.
- Unroll:
UnrollSrfflattens developable surfaces for sheet materials.
- 3D printing: export closed meshes (STL/3MF); check wall thickness and that the mesh is closed and not self-intersecting.
Always confirm units, tolerances and file requirements with the fabricator.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Make2D | Command line | 2D drawings from 3D |
| ClippingPlane | Command line | Cuts viewport display |
| Layout | Command line | Sheets with details |
| UnrollSrf | Command line | Flattens developable surfaces |
| Export (DXF/STL/3MF) | File › Export Selected | Fabrication files |
Common mistakes
Fabricated parts are the wrong size.
Check model units and export units match the fabricator's.
3D print fails.
The mesh isn't closed or walls are too thin; check with mesh tools.
Exercise
Drawings and a cut file
- Make2D a plan and elevation of your model.
- Create a layout with two details at 1:50 and a title block; export PDF.
- Unroll one surface and export it as DXF.
- Export a small solid as STL.
You should end up with: A drawing sheet and fabrication-ready files.
Checklist
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Lesson quiz
Which command creates 2D line drawings from 3D objects?
Finished this lesson?
Taking the quiz marks it complete too. Your course page picks up where you stopped.
Free KitWren tools that help
- Merge PDFCombine multiple PDFs into one file, in any order, choosing which pages to include from each.
- Length ConverterConvert between metres, centimetres, millimetres, kilometres, inches, feet, yards and miles.
- Angle ConverterConvert degrees, radians, gradians, arcminutes and turns.
- Area ConverterConvert square metres, square feet, acres, hectares and more.
- Image ResizerResize images to exact pixel dimensions or by percentage, keeping the proportions if you like.
Free, independent learning material written for KitWren. Rhinoceros, Rhino and Grasshopper are trademarks of Robert McNeel & Associates. KitWren is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Robert McNeel & Associates. We never provide software downloads, licence keys or cracks — use the official sources.