I am encountering persistent issues when trying to create solid objects from curves imported from Adobe Illustrator. My goal is to extrude these vector curves and Boolean Union them with another solid object.
What I want to do: I want to Boolean Union the object on Layer A with the object on Layer B (the red object).
The Workflow:
Import vector curves from Illustrator (.ai).
Extrude the curves (e.g., 2mm thickness).
Boolean Union the extruded result with the solid on Layer B.
The Issues: Despite the curves appearing correct, I am facing several failures:
Extrusion Artifacts: When using ExtrudeCrv, unintended areas are filled, or the result is not a valid closed solid.
Boolean Failure (Missing Caps): Even if I extrude curves individually, performing a Boolean operation causes the top and bottom faces to disappear, leaving only the side walls (Open Polysurface).
Surface Commands Fail: I tried creating a surface first using PlanarSrf and then OffsetSrf or ExtrudeSrf, but the result still fails to generate top/bottom faces.
Manual Join Fail: I attempted to manually fix this by copying the top/bottom faces and generating the side walls, but the Join command fails to create a closed polysurface.
Troubleshooting done so far:
Curve Integrity: No self-intersections. All curves are closed (SelOpenCrv returns nothing).
Geometry Checks:
I used DupFaceBorder to regenerate curves and SetPt to ensure they are perfectly flat on the Z-axis.
I checked normal directions using Dir, and they are consistent.
I am stuck and cannot identify the root cause. Could someone please take a look at the file?
I looked at your file. Looks like you need to clean up your surfaces and or curves there are number of problem areas. Notice that your closed polysurface objects can Boolean union.
Why are you working at this odd angle?
That outer closed polysurface on layer A looks really weird, is this intended?
The surface on layer a the scroll work is mostly an open polysurface while some are closed polysurfaces, the closed polysurfaces work.
I would construct this in rhino using rhinoâs curves and not use adobe if possible. Also model orthographically first than transform it to the angle afterwards if possible. If you use your AI curves try working in smaller parts, like you did for the other closed polysurfaces. Try to get those to boolean union rather than trying to boolean union everything in one operation this should help you find the problem areas. I think the left side is the problem. I thickened the frame part on layer A donât know if that helped.
Ok I was able to union it but there were problems getting it to work.
I had to dupborder your b layer surf, planar surf the dupborder, then extrude (which creates two phantom surfaces a bug here?) then explode delete the phantoms, then copy the front planar surf to the back and then join all into one then Boolean union with the frame on layer a.
I have cut the curves after imported the svg into the smaller area I needed, and the extruded. I was wondering the curves become Rhinoâs after they were dupfaceborder commanded from the surface plane made in Rhino even though the original curves were made on AI.
Thanks for your reply and very detailed instrction! I apologize my layer B polysurface in red colored was distorted and that made things here a bit complicated so I fixed it and reuploaded 3dm (sample2.3dm) .
As you instructed phantom surfaces, I was able to union some small parts of the surfaces in green colored on the layer A. But, I coudnât union with command âjoinâ the rest of the big surfaces on the layer A as the same issue happened that:
ă» front or back surface was gone when the one of them was tried to union to the side plane with join command.
I guess it is like a problem simply the planes couldnât unioned are designed too complicated since the other green polysurfaces were easily unioned although I really wanna find the way to achieve this with the large faces.
The thikness of the two polysurfaces on Layer A and B must be in the same thinkness in 2 mm and they are united on the same surface level.
The SVG is not a precise repeat. Unless you want it to be slightly irregular, it might be helpful to isolate the tile elements and fix / redraw the linework (as 3dsynergy indicates) within the tile before doing addtional work. This would eliminate the uncertainty about what problems are preventing the larger areas from extruding as solids. You could extrude the single tile and then mirror, repeat and union or subtract as needed.
Thanks for your reply! Now I see the vector lines arenât symmetry and they are tangled cause error in Rhino modeling. As you told, I should fix those vector curves in AI and reflect copying in Rhino to build the entire design tiles. Big help! Thank you!
