- [Instructor] In this particular AutoCAD
Tip and Trick, we're going to kind of work with a 2-D
into 3-D design.
And I'm going to show you how to utilize
a thing called Boolean algebra
in your 3-D design as well.
And also, Boolean algebra can be used in 2-D
to prepare an AutoCAD region for 3-D as well.
So, we're going to kind of jump around a little bit
with some really cool features
in AutoCAD that allow you to transition
from 2-D into 3-D design.
We've got a drawing for you to use as well.
It's called 221_3D DESIGN-Boolean.dwg.
You can see the name of the file
in the title bar at the top of the screen
in AutoCAD at the moment.
Download that from the library
and you can use that to follow along
with this particular tips and tricks video.
Now, you'll notice, when you open up the drawing
it should be in the model tab here.
So, we're working in model space right now.
And you'll also notice on the ribbon,
we are in the drafting and annotation 2-D workspace.
So, down here, workspace switching on the status bar,
make sure you're in Drafting & Annotation like so.
So, what we're going to do now,
is work with the objects we have in the drawing.
So, you'll notice that I've got a circle.
Also got a polyline there, polyline there.
So, two polylines with fileted corners
and four circles.
What we're going to do first
is convert all of these to AutoCAD regions.
That way, we can then start applying
the Boolean algebra to them as well.
And you'll see why we're starting to prepare this way too.
So, the region command, you can either type it,
type the word region.
Or, in the Drafting & Annotation workspace,
you can go to the Draw panel,
click on the fly out, there's the region command
there like so.
So, that's in the Draw panel on the Home tab
in the Drafting & Annotation workspace.
Now, it's prompting you to select the objects
you want to make into regions.
You want to select all of them.
So, it's a click and a drag using a window selection
encompassing all of the objects like so.
You can see that highlighted now,
and it says it's found six objects.
Can you see that on the command line?
Press enter to confirm.
Six loops extracted, six regions created.
In order to generate a region,
it must be a closed boundary.
So, something like a polyline,
which is closed, or a circle,
you can easily convert those to regions.
So, they're now all regions
in our 2-D AutoCAD environment.
Now, what we're going to do,
is we're going to stay in the top view like this.
You can see we're in the top view like so on the view cube,
and we're going to change our workspace.
We're going to come down here to Workspace Switching,
and change to 3-D Modeling.
Now the reason I'm doing that
is purely because the Boolean algebra functions
that we need in AutoCAD,
are up here in the Home tab in 3-D Modeling
in Solid Editing.
They're right here.
You can see that we've got Union,
Subtract, and also Intersect if we need it.
Now, what we're going to do,
we're going to utilize Union first.
And we're going to Union a certain group of regions.
Let me show you what happens.
So, we go up to Union here, like so.
And we select the regions we want to Union,
which is going to be one, and two,
and three, and four, and the outer polyline,
like that.
Do not select the inner polyline.
Press Enter now to confirm.
And you'll notice that something changes.
What we've done, is these regions are all Unioned now,
can you see, into one region with the little half circles.
Now, this particular one here is also a region.
And what we want to do now is create one region
out of both of those regions.
Now, what we're going to do
is we're going to subtract this region here
from this region here.
So, we go to Solid Editing again
and we utilize Subtract.
So, we go Solid Subtract and we now say
that we want to subtract from,
so, we're going use this one first.
So, we're going to be subtracting from this one.
And then we press Enter to confirm.
We now want to select solid surface or region
that we want to subtract.
So, I'm going to subtract this one here, like so.
And then press Enter to confirm again.
That closes the command, and we've now got one region.
Can you see that?
So, there's a big hole in the middle now.
So, it's sort of like a gasket kind of idea.
We've got a gasket that we might place
on an engine block, or perhaps a piece of ducting
where two bits of ducting join together,
you need a gasket in between to make sure
that they don't rust together, for example.
So, I'll just hit ESC a few times now.
We're in our 3-D environment,
we've gone to the 3-D modeling workspace,
and we've got the 3-D modeling ribbon
up at the top of the screen.
We're now going to go to the view cube
and click on the bottom left corner
for the Southwest isometric view.
So, there's our region.
Now, at the moment, our visual style
is 2-D wire frame there.
Now, when you do go into that 3-D view,
you might find that your cross-hairs
gone a bit dark like mine has.
Simple solution there,
it's a right click, Options,
and you want to go to your display tab in your Options
and go to Colors, and maybe just go to 2-D Model space,
Uniform background, change that to a white color like that.
And apply and close and Okay.
And you can now see what's going on.
It's much, much easier.
Not so good on the eyes, I hasten to add,
but it just stands out a bit more.
Now, what we're going to look at is our region
that we've created, like so.
It's flat at the moment.
It's a 2-D flat region.
But what I can do now in my 3-D environment
is extrude that.
So, if I go to modeling here, the modeling panel,
and select Extrude, and select my region,
watch what happens when I press Enter and go up.
Can you see?
That is one 3-D solid.
So, I'll take that up to, say, 25 and press Enter.
And now, if I go to a different visual style,
say Realistic, can you see now
that we've given that a thickness?
And when I hold down the Shift key
and hold down the mouse wheel,
and do an orbit, can you see our region
now has that 25 unit thickness.
And that's why we utilize Boolean algebra
with those regions.
So, you convert your 2-D objects to regions,
use the Boolean algebra to tidy things up
by using things like Union and Subtract.
And then you just Extrude in a 3-D environment
to generate the 3-D solid from that region
stroke section marker that you've created.
'Cause bear in mind, that region you've created
using Union and Subtract is the equivalent
of like a section through the object.
And then, as soon as you Extrude it,
you give it thickness and it becomes a 3-D solid
when you're working in 3-D in AutoCAD.