Cut : Options and Results

Access: Open this function from one of the following locations:

  • Click  in the toolbar.

  • Select Solid > Main Tools > Cut from the menu bar.

Cut objects by geometry.

Cut (trim) one or more open or closed objects (also faces) by using face(s), a plane, object(s), curve, edge, or axis as the cutting entity.

Notes: Use the Faces / Trim function to cut faces of open or closed objects.

Required Step 1

Pick the object(s) to be cut – one or more open or closed objects (including individual faces).

Press exitexit(middle mouse button) when all objects are selected.

Note: When picking a mesh object, only a single mesh object (closed or open) can be picked.

The part before selection

The objects to be cut are selected
(in this case, open objects)

Required Step 2

Pick the cutting geometry: a plane, face(s), open or closed object(s), curve(s), edge(s), axis(axes), or points, and if necessary, indicate the side to be removed.

Notes:

  • If a closed mesh object was selected in Required Step 1, then following entities can be picked:

    • Datum plane

    • Closed mesh object

    • Closed solid object.

  • If an open mesh object was selected in Required Step 1, then following entities can be picked:

    • Datum plane

Note that the objects to be cut (those selected in Required Step 1) are displayed in transparent mode to enable you to more easily pick the cutting geometry. When you exit the function, each transparent object returns to its previous render mode state as it was prior to invoking the function.

The following parameters are displayed.

Notes:

  • Use the Selection Filter to select curves, edges, axes, or points as the cutting geometry.

  • When selecting a single curve, edge, or axis (as the cutting geometry), any geometry that defines a plane can be used as input: A 2D line with an angle, two points and a direction angle, 3 points, or 2D curve. See Cut Objects by Curve, Edge, Axis.

  • To reduce the file size when cutting a small object by a large object, instead of using the whole (large) cutting object, the system prompts you to perform the cut operation using only those faces of the cutting object that intersect with the objects to be cut. This prompt is displayed if the following conditions are met:

    1. If the cutting object (Required Step 2) is not in the same file as the objects to be cut (Required Step 1); for example, the cutting object may be in another file of an assembly.

    2. If the cutting object has more faces than the objects to be cut.

 

As Boolean /
As Trim

Select the method to perform the Cut operation.

This option is only displayed if the entity to be cut is an open object.
ExamplesExamples

Cut: As Boolean

Cut: As Trim

Invert Active Object

This parameter is available only for open objects and deals with issues of object direction. See Invert Active Object.

Don't Separate Objects /
Separate Objects

Toggle option to indicate whether objects remaining after a cut operation are to be regarded as a single object or as separate objects.

Don't Separate Objects

The objects remaining after a cut operation are regarded as a single object. When one of the objects is picked, both are selected.

Separate Objects

The objects remaining after a cut operation are regarded as separate objects. When one of the objects is picked, only the picked object is selected. The entities are now separate objects.

ExamplesExamples

Result of a Cut operation

Don't Separate Objects
When one of the objects is picked, both are selected.

Separate Objects
When one of the objects is picked, only the picked object is selected.

Keep Cutting Object /
Remove Cutting Object

Toggle option to indicate whether or not the cutting object is removed after a cut operation.

Keep Cutting Object

The cutting object remains after a cut operation.

Remove Cutting Object

The cutting object is removed after a cut operation.

ExamplesExamples

Keep Cutting Object Remove Cutting Object

Notes:

  • It is possible to use more than one cutting object. In this case, if the option, Remove Cutting Object, is selected, all the cutting objects will be removed.

  • This option is grayed out (and set to Keep Cutting Object) in the following cases:

    • If the cutting entity is external (an assembly external reference)

    • If the cutting entity is a datum plane

    • If the cutting entity is a planar face

Extend /
Don't Extend

Toggle option that enables the extension of a cutting planar or non-planar face to cut the object selected in Required Step 1. This option is only displayed if the cutting object is a face or multiple faces.

For planar faces

ExampleExample

The cutting planar face is extended to cut the object selected in Required Step 1

The cutting planar face is not extended and only cuts part of the object


See the examples in Cut One Object by One Face.

 

For non-planar faces only

If the Extend option is selected, an additional toggle option, Natural / Tangent , is displayed.The default option is Natural.

Natural

The edge of the extruded face is produced as a natural extension of the reference face.

Tangent

The edge of the extruded face is produced in the direction tangent to the reference face.

ExampleExample

Don't Extend

Extend > Natural 
The edge of the cut face is produced as a natural extension of the reference face.

Extend > Tangent 
The edge of the cut face is produced in the direction tangent to the reference face.

Front view showing the Extend > Natural and Tangent option results.


See additional examples in Cut One Object by One Face.

Single curve, edge or axis

When selecting a single curve, edge or axis (as the cutting geometry), a cutting plane is displayed though the cutting geometry and the Extend option is automatically selected, but not displayed. In these cases, an Angle parameter is displayed allowing you to change the orientation of the cutting plane as required.

ExampleExample


See additional examples in Cut Objects by Curve, Edge, Axis.

Transfer Attributes /
Don't Transfer Attributes

Toggle option to determine if attributes (colors, hole attributes, manufacturing attributes, etc.) are transferred with the cut operation or not. 

Transfer Attributes

Attributes from the cutting geometry are transferred to the object that is cut.

Attributes List  
The following attributes are transferred:

  • Colors

  • Hole attributes (H6/H7, etc.)

  • Manufacturing attributes

  • Threads
    (Note that threads are only transferred to the same cutting face in the part that is being cut.)

  • UV curve display

ExamplesExamples

Object to be cut

Cutting geometry (in this case an object)

Result using Transfer Attributes 
The cutting geometry's attributes (see Attributes List above) are transferred to the cut object.

Don't Transfer Attributes

Attributes from the cutting geometry are not transferred to the object that is cut.

Notes:

  • The toggle option is not available in the following cases:
    • If the cutting geometry is a plane.
    • If object to be cut is open and the first parameter is set to As Trim.
    • If the cutting geometry (Required Step 2) is a mesh object

 

  • In Edit mode, this toggle option changes to Overwrite Attributes / Don't Change Attributes (see Editing the Cut Feature).

Don't Offset /
Offset Cutting

Toggle option that enables you to offset the cutting object in a cut operation.

Don't Offset

Don't offset the cutting object.

Offset Cutting Object

Offset the cutting object in a cut operation.
When this option is selected, the Global Offset parameter is displayed enabling a global offset to be set to the cutting object.

Global Offset default: 2 mm (0.1 inch)
Valid input: Positive, negative, and zero values.

A value of 0 is the same as Don't Offset.

ExamplesExamples

Blank - object to be cut
Tool - cutting object

Cut without Offset

Cut with Offset

This toggle option is displayed if either of the following conditions is met:

  • If the checkbox option, Enable Offsetting the Tool in Cut operation, in Preferences is ON.

  • When editing an existing feature, if the Offset Tool option is set with a value > 0.

This option is grayed out and set to Don't Offset if there is more than one cutting tool.

Notes:

  • One object can be used to cut multiple objects or multiple objects can be used to cut one object.

  • Face(s) can only be used to cut one solid.

For additional explanations of the various methods of dividing by an object, see:

Click OK or Apply in the Feature Guide to complete the function.

Cut: As Boolean

Cut: As Trim

When completed, the Cut feature appears in the Feature Tree.

 

 

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.