Boolean Object

The boolean object is a very powerful tool if you want to make some solid geometry. For example, you can subtract one object's area from another. There are currently five different boolean operations available. See the examples below for a clearer idea of how each boolean operation works.

Subtract

Union

Intersect


Outside

Inside

Attention: The boolean object only creates triangles. Avoid using this tool if you want to use the object for subdivision modeling later on. The polygon count of the final object can also become high so be sure that the job can't be done with other tools before you use boolean operations.

Usage
To use the boolean operations, just drag and drop two polygon objects into a single boolean object (as in the image below). The first child object will be object A and the second one will be object B. Now choose the boolean operation you want to perform from the properties editor. After positioning the child objects with the transform tool you are done.

Properties

  • operation: Choose one of the five available operations. See the images above for an explanation of the different operations.
  • meshed: If meshed is selected Cheetah3D tries to create a mesh where all polygons are connected to each other. This results in a higher polygon count, but the mesh will be better quality.
  • inherit normals: To get your boolean object to inherit normals, every object (the boolean object and its children) have to have a smooth tag. The boolean object will use the normals of the children instead of calculating its own. This can help create a better looking mesh in cases where it is difficult to find an adequate constrain angle in the smooth tag. However, please consider that these properties get lost once the object is made editable.

© 2001-2010 Martin Wengenmayer. All rights reserved.