Rhino 3D Tip: Grip-Based Solid Editing with SolidPtOn

SolidPtOn lets you reshape solids without exploding them, ideal for quick design iterations and late-stage tweaks.

What SolidPtOn does

• Turns on “solid points” (grips) for closed polysurfaces and extrusions so you can move faces, edges, and vertices while the object stays joined.
• Supports precise, constraint-based edits with Gumball, Ortho, and Osnaps.
• Great for push/pull adjustments, squaring up geometry, and fast what-if scenarios without rebuilding.

Core workflow

1. Run SolidPtOn and select the solid. Grips will appear at vertices and strategic locations.
2. Select the set of points that belongs to a face you want to move. Tip: Use a crossing window or SelBrush to gather all corner points of the face.
3. Turn on Gumball. Right-click the Gumball to Align to Object if you need moves normal to a face.
4. Drag the Gumball arrow, or type a distance. Use Ortho (Shift) or Tab to lock direction mid-drag.
5. Confirm continuity: run ShowEdges > Naked/Non-manifold to ensure the solid remains watertight.
6. When finished, run SolidPtOff.

Precision tips

• Tab key: Start a drag, then press Tab to lock to that vector; type a distance for exact moves.
• SetPt for grips: With points selected, use SetPt to constrain edits to X/Y/Z or a plane.
• Gumball relocations: Ctrl-drag the Gumball origin onto a key edge/vertex to reorient; use Align to CPlane/Object for predictable normals.
• Numeric entry: Click a Gumball arrow and type 12, -3.5, or 25mm for absolute control.
• Osnaps: Temporarily disable end/mid snaps while dragging grips to avoid accidental snaps; re-enable for final placement.

When to use SolidPtOn vs. sub-object selection

• SolidPtOn: Ideal when you want to move multiple corners/edges of a face together and maintain closed topology.
• Ctrl+Shift sub-object selection: Perfect for direct face moves (Gumball) or commands like MoveFace, ExtrudeFace with more explicit direction control.

Best practices

• Select all relevant points for a face; missing one corner can twist geometry or create gaps.
• Keep edits orthogonal whenever possible to preserve fillet quality and feature intent.
• Check tolerances: overly tight units may flag tiny gaps; adjust in Document Properties if necessary.
• Analyze after edits: use EdgeContinuity, CurvatureAnalysis, and Zebra on critical blends.
• History-aware: SolidPtOn is a direct edit; downstream history links may break—update dependent features as needed.

Troubleshooting

• No points appear: The object might be a mesh/SubD or locked. For extrusions, try ConvertExtrusion or ToNURBS if necessary.
• Invalid object warnings: Undo, select complete face point sets, and constrain moves; avoid shears that cause self-intersections.
• Fillets deform: Rebuild or reapply blends after major topology shifts; direct edits don’t preserve radii.

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