Cut-away view

[MKingsley]

I've created some car decking (2x6 T&G) in 3D that I wanted to show in a cut-away type view. I want to show just part of it, as if you took a jigsaw and cut a curvy slice through it.

I made the decking by just extruding the profile and bunching a several of those together, and then I want to make a curving slice through all those. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking I may have to make one solid sheet that gets sliced and then add line details later. But is there any way to model it as I was first doing it, like you would actually do it in the real world?

[Pat Stanford]

As long as your objects are not colinear, you can draw a polyline in Top (or plan) and extrude it and use it as a pattern to Section Surface.

By colinear, I mean that you need to have a gap, (it can be miniscule), between the boards to get the divisions to show. If you have a 12" plank and duplicate it at 12", you will loose all of the internal divisions. If you duplicate it at 12.01 inch, you will see the individual boards in the Solid Section.

Solid Section is like a Subtract Solids where you can subtract a single object from multiple objects instead of the other way around.

[MKingsley]

Brilliant. That was the difference, Pat. I had them all tight together before and nothing was working. I suppose they need room for expansion just like in the real world....

Thanks again!

[Bob Holtzmann]

I hope that T&G deck does not get excessively wet - wood does expand when it gets soaked, you know. Usually, 2x6 cedar deck boards need an 1/8" side gap.

I usually do this detail in 2D, with the Repetitive Unit tool.