About Boolean Operations

A Boolean operation is a construction technique joining two or more bodies into a single new object.

Boolean operations is a good way of structuring the design. Before designing, you can define the structure of the representation by associating a body containing geometry or not with empty bodies. Once these specifications are done, you can then concentrate on the geometry.

Note: Depending on your role, you may not have access to this functionality.

This page discusses:

See Also
Assembling Bodies
Intersecting Bodies
Adding Bodies
Removing Bodies

Boolean Operations

You can perform the following Boolean operations.

  • Assemble: integrates 3D shapes to create complex geometry

  • Add: adds a body to another.

  • Trim

  • Remove: when a body is removed from another body, it means the removal of the material of the first body which is common with the second from the latter.

  • Intersect

  • Keep and remove faces

The different commands allowing you to perform Boolean operations are available from the Structure section of the action bar.

Note: To perform an assemble operation, the polarity of a body is important. There are two types of polarities in bodies: positive, and negative. To get basic information on polarity, see Empty Bodies and Polarity.

Location of Bodies Once the Boolean Operation is Complete

Once a Boolean operation is done, the second body you selected is moved below the Boolean operation. However, there are exceptions to that rule:

  • If there are mixed Boolean operations, the second body remains at the same location in the tree. For reference information on how to associate bodies of different types, see Location of Operating Bodies in Boolean Operations.

  • If assembling bodies results in an interruption of the sequential construction of the geometry, a warning message is issued letting you choose between canceling the operation or continuing. If you decide to continue the operation, the second body you selected remains at its initial location in the tree.

Notes

  • You cannot re-apply the Assemble, Add, Trim, Intersect, Remove, and Remove Lump commands to bodies already associated to other bodies. However, if you copy and paste the result of such operations elsewhere in the tree you can then use these commands.
  • Avoid using input elements that are tangent to each other since this may result in geometric instabilities in the tangency zone.

Optimizing Your Design

The Only Current Body command available in the App Options panel displays only the features of the current body and greatly improves the app performance whenever you edit these features. For more information, see Display in Geometry Area in the Customizing section of this user's guide.

Interrupting Boolean Operations Computations

If you made a mistake when performing a Boolean operation, you can interrupt the feature computation launched after clicking OK, when the computation requires a few seconds to perform. If the computation exceeds a certain amount of time, a window appears providing a Cancel option. To interrupt the operation, click this Cancel button. This interrupts the process and displays an Update Diagnosis dialog box enabling you to edit, deactivate, isolate or even delete the Boolean operation in progress.

This capability is available for any types of Boolean operations you are creating or editing.

Copying/Pasting Boolean Operations

To copy and paste Boolean Operations, you need to select the operation node as well as the operated body.

Colors

When performing a mixed Boolean operation, the resulting geometry inherits the colors of the first selected object.

To inherit colors from the second selection, do one of the following:

  • Select Me > Preferences > App Preferences > 3D Modeling > 3D Modeling Core > Part Design > Feature color > Inherit colors for surface or reference object .
  • Right-click the Boolean operation feature in the tree and select Boolean_operation.object > Inherit input object color.