Tools menu: Intersect tool

What is the Intersect tool?

Intersect is one of the Boolean operations in Shapr3D. You can use the Intersect tool to create a body from the overlapping volume shared by two sets of bodies, allowing you to isolate geometry where the bodies intersect.

Intersect is useful for:

• Isolating overlapping geometry – Keep only the volume shared by the selected bodies.
• Creating complex shapes – Form new geometry from the intersection of simpler solids.
• Refining parts – Use overlapping bodies to define the exact volume you want to retain.

Note: You need at least two overlapping solid bodies to create an intersection.

How to use the Intersect tool

1. Go to Tools > Intersect. 
   For other ways to open the tool, visit Accessing tools.
2. Select the first body or set of bodies to intersect. These appear under Body Set #1 in the parameter card.
3. Select the overlapping body or bodies for Body Set #2. The Intersect result contains the volume shared by the two sets. You can change a selected body's assignment using its selection badge.
4. If necessary, adjust Keep Body Set #1 and Keep Body Set #2 to control which original bodies are retained.
5. To finish, select Done.

Parameter Card and History Settings

Shapr3D records the tools you use as steps in History, allowing you to revisit and modify them later. Each History step stores its parameters, which you can access through the parameter card. You can adjust these parameters while using the tool or reopen the parameter card from History after completing the step.

Adjust Intersect parameters

While Intersect is active, use its parameter card to review or change the following settings:

• Body Set #1 – Select the first body or group of bodies to intersect.
• Body Set #2 – Select the second body or group of bodies to intersect with the first set.
• Keep Body Set #1 – Choose whether to retain the original bodies in Body Set #1. Turn this on if you need to reuse or modify these bodies later. Leave it off to keep only the intersection result and any originals retained by the other setting.
• Keep Body Set #2 – Choose whether to retain the original bodies in Body Set #2. Turn this on if you need to reuse or modify these bodies later. Leave it off to keep only the intersection result and any originals retained by the other setting.

Edit Intersect in History

1. Open History and select the Intersect step. For more about editing steps, visit History.
2. Review or update the selected bodies, the Type of Boolean operation, and the settings for retaining original bodies.
3. To finish editing, select Done.

In the existing History interface, you may encounter these parameter names:

• Target – Edit the bodies assigned to the first selection set (Body Set #1).
• Tool – Edit the bodies assigned to the second selection set (Body Set #2).
• Type – Change the Boolean operation to Union, Subtract, or Intersect. Review the selected bodies after changing the operation.
• Keep Target Bodies – Retain the originals from the first body set.
• Keep Tool Bodies – Retain the originals from the second body set.

When to use the Intersect tool

Use Intersect when you want to keep the volume shared by overlapping bodies. The other Boolean operations produce different results:

• Intersect keeps only the overlapping volume shared by the selected body sets.
• Union combines overlapping bodies into a single body.
• Subtract removes the overlapping volume of one body from another.

For a broader explanation of these operations, visit Boolean operations.

Best practices and troubleshooting

• Check for overlapping volume. The selected bodies must share volume to create an intersection result.
• Review both body sets. Confirm that the intended bodies are assigned to Body Set #1 and Body Set #2.
• Keep originals when needed. Turn on the appropriate retention settings if you plan to reuse the source geometry.