cutting holes from a plane

[killerbytes]

How do I cut spline shape holes in my plane? Do I have to extrude the splines to do boolean or is there another way? thanks.

http://www.geocities.com/killerbytesinc/cutshape.JPG

[Cad64]

Well, when I first read your question I thought, this is simple enough. But when I tried it, I found that it wasn't so simple after all.

This is how I was able to do it:

1. Select the Spline shape and Convert to Editable Poly
2. Select the Plane and then choose ProBoolean from the Compound Objects list.
3. You can use any of ProBoolean's available Parameters, (Union, Intersection, Subtraction or Merge). Just be sure to enable "Imprint".
4. Click "Start Picking" and select the shape. This will merge the plane and the shape together.
5. Once merged, convert to editable poly and then delete out the polygons you want to remove.

Maybe there's an easier way, but I wasn't able to find one. :unsure:

[hazardman]

select your plane...in the create panel geometry go to compound objects...click on ShapeMerge...then go down and hit the Pick Shape button...and then further below under operations choose Cookie Cutter....

i know it look a bit tricky when you read this but once you do it a few times it not that hard...;)

ps...i'm not sure if you have to do this but i alway move the shape up so that it's not coplannar witht the plane...i don't remember if that makes a difference or not but it might if you're imprinting on a complex model such as a terrain so that the normals can align/intersect properly to cut the shape out....

[Cad64]

Thanks for the tip. :thumbsup:

I just tried it, with a spline shape and a flat plane and it worked fine with both objects being co-planar.

Next, I added a Noise modifier to make the plane wavy, moved the spline shape so that it was halfway above and half below the modified plane and it still worked.

So I guess it doesn't matter where the spline is, in relation to the surface. It seems to just project through regardless.

I also tried it on a cylinder to see if it would project through both sides, but it only cut through the part of the cylinder that the spline was closest to.

[killerbytes]

thank you very much for this. :)

[cadboi08]

select your plane...in the create panel geometry go to compound objects...click on ShapeMerge...then go down and hit the Pick Shape button...and then further below under operations choose Cookie Cutter....


Thanks but this isn't working for me. What do I do after I select shape and pick the spline?

[Cad64]

1. Select the plane
2. Go to the Create Panel > Compound Objects
3. Click "ShapeMerge"
4. Click the "Pick Shape" button
5. Choose the "Cookie Cutter" option
6. Select the Spline

Once you select the spline it will project through your plane and cut out the shape.

[cadboi08]

1. Select the plane
2. Go to the Create Panel > Compound Objects
3. Click "ShapeMerge"
4. Click the "Pick Shape" button
5. Choose the "Cookie Cutter" option
6. Select the Spline

Once you select the spline it will project through your plane and cut out the shape.

Thanks very much.

[NuttZ]

select your plane...in the create panel geometry go to compound objects...click on ShapeMerge...then go down and hit the Pick Shape button...and then further below under operations choose Cookie Cutter....

i know it look a bit tricky when you read this but once you do it a few times it not that hard...;)

ps...i'm not sure if you have to do this but i alway move the shape up so that it's not coplannar witht the plane...i don't remember if that makes a difference or not but it might if you're imprinting on a complex model such as a terrain so that the normals can align/intersect properly to cut the shape out....


Great tip...its kinda neat that there are a few different ways of doing this, but this is the quickest by far.