Hey Guys. I am a new user of Rhino. I was wondering if there is any way to isolate two solids (Polysurfaces) after they have been joined using the “BooleanUnion” command. So is there any way to isolate one solid (Polysurfaces) from the other one? I have tried using the “Explode” command but it basically gives me the individual surfaces that was needed to make the whole solid (Polysurfaces). But I need the entire solid separated from the overall solid that was made using the “Boolean Union”. Any help would be massively appreciated. Thank you.
The short answer is “NO”.
But it is a bit more complex.
Rhino is mainly a surface - based modeller without a feature-Tree that keeps the “making of” in the document.
My recommendation:
before doing a boolean union, keep the parts / solids on a separate Layer.
Having a nice layer-Structure that organises your documents / workflows is not mandatory in Rhino but really highly recommended.
Same before starting to Fillet - keep the sharp object.
This is the more or less the basic layer-structure I teach:
Default - empty at least at the final save
grid - some basic lines / rectangles to define the initial outline
constr - fancy arcs and other geometry, that is related to grid
crv - the only Curves that will generate surfaces / parts
parts - stuff that is used for booleans
Object-bridge - (bridge) the object with sharp edges
Object-bridge-Fillet - with rounded edges
dim - some annotations
info - some additional text, todos, questions, next steps to do etc…
I use the same colours.
you can save a basic empty file as template
main menu - File - save Template
other users have different / less detailed approach regarding layers…
(1)
Please note it is possible to Undo, copy (some older geometries), Redo, Paste.
More or less you can go to the past and copy. Then go back into the future and paste.
so if you forgot to keep the solids - go back a few steps, copy them, redo, paste.
(2)
The surfaces / parts that are merged / disappeared by a boolean union are (partially) lost.
do see what i mean:
_explode
_untrimAll
will show the underlying, untrimmed surfaces. (check out some more info about trimmed / untrimmed surfaces !!!)
you can somehow split a complex polysurface with
_unjoinEdge
or get a single Surface with
_extractSrf
hope this helps - kind regards - tom
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Thanks a lot for the the answer. It was so elaborate. I really appreciate the effort and the suggestions (Overwhelmed by your help really ). Cheers!
Hello- the V8 WIP supports History in Boolean operations if deleting the input is set to No - this is helpful if not 100 % convenient, because the inputs and outputs occupy the same space- i.e. you need to arrange things a bit and for example put the output on a separate locked layer to enable editing of the inputs without losing your mind after a while trying to make a selection.
-Pascal