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Booleans and Cutters

Create holes, combine shapes, and split objects with boolean tools.

Updated

Explore the Boolean Cutters feature overview →

Boolean operations use one shape or object to change another. The cutter or source defines the operation's shape; the target receives the result.

Choose the operation

Operation Result
Create / Add Make a new scene object from the active shape; drawn 2D shapes label this operation Add.
Subtract Remove the overlapping volume from the target.
Union Combine the source and target volumes.
Intersect Keep the overlapping volume.
Slice Split the target using the cutter boundary.

Tools expose only their supported operations. Trim tools, for example, offer Subtract and Slice.

Bevel is always subtractive. It intentionally has no operation selector.

Cut with a shape preview

  1. Create or select the object you want to change.
  2. Start a shape, such as Cylinder.
  3. Position it so that it overlaps the target.
  4. Press Q and choose Subtract.
  5. Hold Ctrl and click the target object.

For a through-hole, extend the cutter beyond both sides of the target. For a recess, let it stop inside the object.

Use an existing object as the source

  1. Select the object that should act as the cutter or source.
  2. Open the Actions Panel and choose Subtract, Union, Intersect, or Slice.
  3. Hold Ctrl and click the target.

The viewport instruction text names the source and the active operation. Cancel Boolean, Escape, or right-click exits the targeting workflow.

Cut with Trim Line or Trim Curve

Draw the trim boundary and finish its drawing step. Edit the line endpoints or curve points if needed.

In Subtract, Ctrl+Click chooses the side to remove. In Slice, the clicked side does not choose the removed half; the operation splits the target.

Bevel or chamfer an edge

Select the target object before starting Bevel. Click the exact start point on a highlighted object edge, then tangent point A on one adjacent face and tangent point B on the opposite face. The edge point defines the shared cross-section station; the two face points are projected to that station and define the cut width on both sides. Add points along highlighted hard object edges to define the polyline and use Ctrl+Click for its last point. The completed cutter previews its subtraction on the target.

Adjust Bevel for a rounded, tangent transition or Chamfer for a straight diagonal cut. The controls are mutually exclusive and scale the cross-section relative to the two picked tangent points. During slider movement only the cutter updates; the live subtraction is recalculated once when the slider is released.

Check the result

Inspect the cut from several angles. If a feature is too small to survive the current object resolution, prepare a finer voxel remesh and retry.

Use Edit > Undo to return to the previous result. Slice with multiple cutters is currently unsupported; use an individual cutter for that operation.