Boolean Operations
The Boolean Operations in Design Engine are similar to those commonly found in CAD programs.
Union, Difference, and Intersection can be used to create complex shapes using the interface of multiple input models.
Accessing Boolean Operations
Access Union, Intersection, and Difference from the “More booleans” dropdown under the Combine operation.
Union
Union merges the overlapping areas of two or more models into a single model.
Intersection
Intersection creates a new model that is the overlapping area of two or more models.
Difference
Difference removes the overlapping areas of one or more models from one specified model.
Boolean Considerations
Input Model Complexity
The power of boolean operations in Design Engine is that you can use these operations with lattices.
Note that boolean operations are computationally complex when working with lattices. Processing times are often within a few minutes but can take up to an hour for complex geometries.
Especially complex geometries may receive a timeout error if processing time will exceed one hour.
In such cases, try subdividing geometries to smaller sections to reduce complexity.
Combine is an Alternative to Union
If you are using the Boolean Union operation with complex geometries, consider using the Combine - AI Error operation instead for quicker processing.
The Combine feature does not work like a boolean union operation commonly found in many CAD programs. A boolean union will trim any overlapping entities to create a singular entity. The combine feature will leave any overlaps in place, providing a quick processing time while still enabling you download a single mesh file for printing.
The overlapping entities do not present an issue when using a Carbon printer. The slicing functions in Carbon software are smart enough to read any overlapping as a single entity.
The same may not be true if using combined mesh files in other 3d printing programs. Be aware that overlapping triangles in the STL files may exhibit errors outside of Carbon software. Use the Boolean Union operation in these cases.