Boolean Operations
The final shape of an object is usually not as simple as primitives. However,
it is likely doable to combine a number of primitives through a series of
proper Boolean operations. The input to Boolean operations can be any
geometric entity, ranging from simple primitives to complicated volumes
generated in previous steps.
Boolean operations are computations involving combinations of geometric
entities. ANSYS Boolean operations include add, subtract, intersect, divide,
glue, and overlap. All Boolean operations are available in the GUI:
Main Menu > Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans
By default, input entities of a Boolean operation are deleted after the
operation.
Add: Combines two or more entities into one.
A2
A1
Glue: Attaches two or more entities by creating a common
boundary between them, which is useful when you want to
maintain the distinction between entities (such as for different
materials).
A2
Glue
A2
A1
Subtract: Removes the overlapping portion of one or more
entities from a set of base entities, which can be useful for
creating holes or trimming off portions of an entity.
A3 A4
Overlap
A5
Subtract
A3
A2
A1
A2
A3
A4
Intersect
Common
Intersection
A1
Intersect: Keeps only the overlapping portion of two or more
entities.
Partition: Cuts two or more intersecting entities into multiple
pieces that are still connected to each other by common
boundaries, e.g., to find the intersection point of two lines and still
retain all four line segments, as shown. (An intersection operation
would return the common keypoint and delete both lines.)
A2
A3
A1
Overlap: Same as glue, except that the input entities overlap
each other.
Divide: Cuts an entity into two or more pieces that are still
connected to each other by common boundaries. The cutting
tool may be the working plane, an area, a line, or even a
volume. Useful for slicing and dicing a complicated
volume into simpler volumes for brick meshing.
A3
Add
A1
A3
Divide
A2
Intersect
L3
L2
L1
L6
L5
L4