Solid Subtract

The Solid Subtract (SSub) and Subtraction with Gap (GAP) commands allow you to subtract one solid from another, make holes and slots. Like the regular _Subtract command, the A>V>C> commands work with 3D-solids, regions and surfaces. The A>V>C> commands have many additional features and settings that are not available in the standard command.

Command capabilities

• You can process multiple objects at once: solids, regions, surfaces, blocks, arrays.

• You can automatically call the command to convert meshes to solids (MeshToSolid) and thus subtract meshes, polygon meshes, body objects, polylines and circles with 3D thickness. 

• The results of processing are not glued into one solid.

• Every selected solid-hole is subtracted from each selected solid-part. One solid-hole can pierce multiple solid-parts at once. This does not require making copies of solid-holes.

• The parts selected in the drawing before calling the command are processed.

• You can prohibit deleting the original solid-parts.

• You can prohibit deleting the subtracted solid-holes.

• You can immediately create a gap around the subtracted part, which is convenient for modeling detachable connections. This option is available in a separate command Gap, and the Solid Subtract command always subtracts without a gap, so as not to accidentally make an erroneous gap.

• Even solids located inside blocks, nested blocks, arrays are subtracted. Thus, you can make an array of holes in 1 command call.

• And vice versa, you can enable subtraction from blocks. That is, you can make holes in all parts of a block using a hole solid located in the model space.

• The commands do not change the material and color of the solid, do not erase the coloring of the faces of the solid part, as the usual subtraction command does.

• The color of the hole solids is not transferred to the faces of the solid part.

• You can assign a layer for the subtraction results. In this case, all the properties of the original body will be replaced by ByLayer.

• All settings are available in the settings dialog and the AvcOptions palette, and the gap can be set in the command line too.

• You can create up to 9 command settings styles and quickly switch them in the command line or in a macro.

• If you want to subtract part of the contours (polylines) as you do with solids, then there is a program for you called Curve Subtract.

The A>V>C> Solid Subtract plugin also includes the Solid Intersect (SInt) and Solid Union (SUnion) commands. The Drilling (DRI) command is not included in the A>V>C> Solid Subtract plugin and has its own separate settings, although it does the same job.

Commands:

Read about downloading and installing the program here.

To run the plugin, you will have to register account and top up your account balance or receiving bonuses.

Then you can activate one of the licenses:

• • Annual license - 10 EUR.

  • Unlimited license - 50 EUR. Free updates for 1 year.

  • The trial period is 20 days.

How to use

You can pre-set the subtraction command in the A>V>C> Options Palette (AVCOptions). You can create several settings styles to quickly switch between them. You can create your own buttons and macros with switching to one of the styles.

Select the detail solids or other objects from which you want to subtract.

Call the subtraction command. To subtract without a gap, use SSub, to subtract with a gap, use the GAP command.

If nothing has been pre-selected, the command will ask you to select objects.

In the selection prompt, you will see options for switching the settings style, for opening the settings dialog and for setting the gap.

You can select multiple solids, regions, surfaces at once. If subtraction from blocks is configured, you can also select blocks containing solids. If MeshToSolid is configured, you can select meshes and other objects supported by this command.

After selecting the detail objects, the program will ask you to select the subtrahend (hole) objects to subtract. If you want the program to find solid holes in the first set of objects by their layer, use the separate Drill (DRI) command.

Next, the program for converting meshes into solids will be called. You must have a license for this command; paying for the Solid Subtract plugin alone is not enough.

All objects will be divided into groups of the same type. Only solids will be subtracted from solids, and surfaces and regions from surfaces. Regions will be subtracted by groups lying in the same plane.

Flat surfaces will be converted to regions if another region on the same plane is also selected.

If subtraction with a gap is required, the subtracted hole objects will be increased by the specified gap (analogous to the _solidedit _body _offset command). This increase in perimeter will not work correctly for all surfaces. Only the outer contour of regions is increased, while holes remain unchanged.

All hole parts will be subtracted from each part object in turn. Solids will not be glued into one multisolid. The material and color of the original object will be preserved. During the subtraction process, the program will output messages to the command line about problems that have occurred, but will not interrupt the work even if the subtraction of one pair of objects failed.

You can interrupt the subtraction process by pressing ESC.

After subtraction, all original objects will be deleted. But you can configure the program to save the original part objects or subtracted (hole) objects. In any case, no blocks will be deleted.

If a layer is specified for results, then all processed objects will be assigned this layer and ByLayer properties. At the same time, the coloring of the faces will be reset.

If the subtraction divided a solid into several unrelated bodies, then the program will save them separately. But this function can be disabled and multi-solids from several bodies can be saved.

At the end of the work, the program will report the number of subtraction operations performed and the number of errors that occurred.

Be sure to check the command line messages if the program does not work as you would like.

Program settings

Style name

The name for this set of settings. Does not affect the operation of the program, just for your convenience in choosing a style.

Result layer

If you fill in this field, then at the end of the work the program will assign a layer to all objects-results of the work. All properties will be reset to ByLayer, and the coloring of the faces of the solids will be erased. Moreover, the layer will be assigned only to objects with which it was possible to perform at least one operation.

Gap

The size of the gap between the solid-part and the solid-hole, which the Gap command will make. If you assign a gap of 0, the GAP command will turn into a complete analogue of the SSub command. It is not allowed to assign a gap smaller than the liner tolerance (default 0.1 mm, configured in Common Options)

Mesh to solid

Convert meshes to solids before performing operations. The option works with all types of meshes and objects of the Body type. 3dFace objects will also be glued and converted. If you select closed polylines or circles with the pseudo-3D Thickness property, they will also be converted to solids. These commands do not process meshes inside blocks - use a preliminary call to the MeshToSolid command. A license for the MeshToSolid command is required.

Subtract inside blocks

Work inside assembly blocks. The option does not work with non-explosive and annotative blocks, nested blocks and arrays - only with assembly blocks. If the source objects contain a block and solids inside it, the subtraction program will transform the subtracted solids from the model inside the block and subtract from all solids of the block. In this way, you can, for example, make a through channel in the finished assembly. Only the SSub and Gap subtraction commands work inside blocks. 

SInt and SUnion understand this option differently. They extract solids from blocks into the model. Inside blocks, only solids are subtracted; surfaces, regions, nested blocks and arrays are not processed. 

Please note that if the drawing contains other insertions of the same block, the solids in them will also be changed. If this does not suit you, you must first convert the necessary block insertions into a new block. The easiest way is to use the AsmNew command.

Pairwise intersection

Option only for the Solid Intersect (SInt) command.

Union to Solid

Option only for the Solid Union (SUnion) command.

Split multisolids

In this mode, all operations are performed only with intersecting objects, and the results are checked for the appearance of separate bodies in a solid and separate islands in regions. Each such part is saved as a separate drawing object. If the option is disabled, multi-solids and multi-regions (several solids within a single solid) may appear in the results. Unfortunately, there is no API to detect and split multi-surfaces.

Delete sources

All original drawing objects that participated in at least one operation will be deleted. If you disable this option, the program will make copies of all objects and work with the copies. When converting meshes to solids, solids will remain in the drawing. Meshes that could not be converted are saved in any case. Block inserts are not removed under any settings.

Delete subtrahend

In subtraction operations (SSub and Gap), subtractable hole objects should be deleted. Objects inside blocks and block inserts themselves are not removed under any settings.

Limitations of the program

• The program cannot separate surfaces consisting of several separate islands.

• The program does not convert meshes to surfaces and regions, only to solids. If necessary, use the _ConvToSurface command.

• Mesh conversion does not work inside blocks.

• The program never deletes the original block inserts.

• Assigning a layer to the results resets all other object properties and solid coloring.

• Messages about most errors are not displayed in the warning window, but are simply written to the command line. This is done so as not to interfere with the work on many objects at once. But sometimes you will have to read the command line messages to understand the cause of the errors. Pay attention to the last message - if there were errors and something was not done, then the last message will be the number of errors.

• 4 commands work with common settings: SSub, Gap, SInt, SUnion. Changing the settings of one command changes the settings of another.

• The Drill (DRI) command, which subtracts solids by layer, has its own separate settings. Including its own gap setting.

• On complex shaped surfaces it is not always possible to correctly increase the subtracted surface for subtraction with a gap.

• When subtracting with a gap regions that already had holes, the gap is formed only along the outer contour, the holes are not offset before subtraction.