T-Splines for Jewellery (Using Rhino)

While not a separate piece of 3D CAD software in itself, T-Splines is a useful plug-in which adds subdivision surface modelling tools and organic sculpting techniques to Rhino.

Subdivision surfaces are based upon an entirely different type of geometry from NURBS surface modelling, and is designed to allow you to push, pull, distort, blend and otherwise combine objects in organic ways which would otherwise be much more difficult using NURBS tools.

Applied to jewellery, T-Splines has real potential to give a nice half-way point between fully fledged sculpting tools like Z-Brush and more architectural CAD tools like Rhino, granting some flexibility with surface working and sculpture while still allowing you to use many of the same NURBS based jewellery-specific tools such as those found in Matrix or RhinoGold.

If you like the precision of NURBS CAD, but would also like some additional flexibility in creating and sculpting organic shapes, then T-Splines might be worth exploring.

To Learn More About Jewellery CAD CAM

If any of these tutorials whets your appetite for learning more about how to use T-Splines for jewellery CAD design and manufacturing, I can provide you with two options:

I offer a bespoke masterclass in using T-Splines for sculptural and organic modelling specifically for jewellery. Contact me directly to find out more about bespoke private tuition in T-Splines to suit your business needs and timetables.

Alternatively, I have collected a series of tutorial videos below which can both help you get a feeling for what the software is like to use, and also how to perform certain key tasks in the software.

Selected Tutorial Videos – T-Splines for Jewellery

Tutorial Videos of My Creation

• Building a Crossover Ring With Radial Symmetry (Using T-Splines and Rhino)

Tutorial Videos From Other Users

• Basic MSR Manipulators in T-Splines
• Building a Shape With Append, Thicken, and Extrude
• Building a Filigree Scroll Detail for a Ring Using Append and Thicken
• Building a Heart Shaped Ring with Bridge
• Making a Signet Ring
• Using Radial Symmetry to Make a Micro Prong Setting
• Converting ZBrush meshes to T-Splines subdivision surfaces
• Making a Scroll Shape Using Append and Thicken