INTERSECT AND CLIP TWO SOLIDS

[gvictoria1]

Hi I've got an extrude and a tapered extrude that are intersecting - I want to clip the top part of the column - leaving the tapered extrude and the bottom part of the column intact. 

 

thanks - 

 

[Apoc Dujour]

This might be a terribly clunky way to do this but I first use the Extract Tool to duplicate a face off to the side. I then extrude that face and move it back onto the original object. Then I subtract the solids.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom W.]

Or in a similar way you could extract the surface then run Section Solids command. No moving/extruding/deleting

[gvictoria1]

Hi Tom - I'm not sure which surface you mean to extract? And am having no success with he Section Solids tool? 

I wound up intersecting solids - then traced the piece I want to subtract - made a new extrude and subtracted it - this is easy with the box shape I had - but don't think this will work for more complex shapes - 

 

Is there no way to intersect the extrudes (solids?) - make them in to two separate pieces and then delete the unwanted piece? 

[Tom W.]

Select the Extract Tool (3D Tool Set) + make sure you're in 'Extract Surface Mode'. You also need to click on wrench + pencil icon + ensure that 'Create Planar Objects' is disabled as you want to create a NURBS Surface not a Polygon.

 

Then click on the underside of your 3D solid + hit enter. You will now have a NUBS Surface in the OIP. Enable 'Show Normal' to check the 'direction' of the surface. You will need to click on 'Reverse Normal' to get the red arrow pointing upwards. This indicates the side of the object that will be clipped.

 

Now select the NURBS + the Extrude + right-click + select 'Section Solids...'. The sectioning object (the NURBS) will be highlighted red. 'Retain Sectioning Object' should be unchecked. Click OK. Extrude will be clipped as if by the 3D object.

 

Another possibility is to use the Split Tool (Basic Tool Set) in Line Trim Mode. Depending on the orientation/angles of the objects you may need to set a working plane on the edge of the top flat object in order to get the cutting angle correct (set the working plane then hit 'Look at working plane' button on View Bar).

 

Or you could try just running Subtract Solids then using Push/Pull tool to 'lose' the errant top bit of the tall extrude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tom W.]

34 minutes ago, gvictoria1 said:

but don't think this will work for more complex shapes - 

 

Extract the surface then Section Solids is good for complex shapes too. Although interestingly when I tried it below the arrow needed to be pointing down rather than up so not sure what the 'rules' are for that then...

 

   

 

Another option you could try is the Project Tool which will send the columnar extrude upwards to meet the upper shape + match the surface.

[Tefke]

To me this is unbeleviable that clipping 3d-objects is actually this complicated. Is there not any updates on this in the 2024 version?

[Tom W.]

12 minutes ago, Tefke said:

To me this is unbeleviable that clipping 3d-objects is actually this complicated. Is there not any updates on this in the 2024 version?

 

Yes many 2D tools now have 'Push/Pull Mode' + 'Push/Pull Combine Mode' which I don't think were available in VW2021. I don't know what version you're using as you don't have a signature. But I don't think anything described in this thread is particularly complicated, just several different options for achieving the same results. How would it better be done? I'm not familiar with any other software.

[Michael Siggers]

On 12/8/2021 at 11:19 AM, Tom W. said:

Select the Extract Tool (3D Tool Set) + make sure you're in 'Extract Surface Mode'. You also need to click on wrench + pencil icon + ensure that 'Create Planar Objects' is disabled as you want to create a NURBS Surface not a Polygon.

 

Then click on the underside of your 3D solid + hit enter. You will now have a NUBS Surface in the OIP. Enable 'Show Normal' to check the 'direction' of the surface. You will need to click on 'Reverse Normal' to get the red arrow pointing upwards. This indicates the side of the object that will be clipped.

 

Now select the NURBS + the Extrude + right-click + select 'Section Solids...'. The sectioning object (the NURBS) will be highlighted red. 'Retain Sectioning Object' should be unchecked. Click OK. Extrude will be clipped as if by the 3D object.

 

Another possibility is to use the Split Tool (Basic Tool Set) in Line Trim Mode. Depending on the orientation/angles of the objects you may need to set a working plane on the edge of the top flat object in order to get the cutting angle correct (set the working plane then hit 'Look at working plane' button on View Bar).

 

Or you could try just running Subtract Solids then using Push/Pull tool to 'lose' the errant top bit of the tall extrude?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you @Tom W.

 

These methods worked from me on a steel frame I'm constructing.

 

Kind regards

 

Mike