Slice Modifier

The Slice modifier lets you use a cutting plane to slice through a mesh, creating new vertices, edges and faces based on the location of the slice plane gizmo. The vertices can either refine (subdivide) or split the mesh, and you can also remove the mesh from one side of the plane.

The Slice modifier slices through groups, selected objects or sub-object selections of faces. It works similarly to the Editable mesh Edge Slice function but does not require the object to be an editable mesh or poly.

Slice cuts through the assembly.

You can animate the cutting plane, changing its position and rotation over time. You can also make objects gradually appear and disappear of objects by animating the Slice Plane gizmo in conjunction with the Remove Top and Remove Bottom options.

Top: Original object

Middle: Object without top

Bottom: Object without bottom

Multiple Slices

To create multiple slices in an object, apply multiple Slice modifiers. If the geometry doesn't need to remain parametric, you can collapse it into editable mesh or editable poly format and use the respective Slice tool (see Cut and Slice (Editable Mesh) and Cut and Slice group (Polymesh). This tool is easier to use for making multiple slices in an object, but the object cannot retain its creation parameters.

Important: You can use Slice on sub-object selection sets by slicing or removing only the selected faces. However, because selected faces are sliced and unselected adjacent faces are not, there might be "holes" in the mesh on the edge where the slice occurs. These holes can be problematic, creating discontinuities in smoothing and rendering. Holes are created only when Operate On Faces is on.

Procedures

Example: To slice vertically through an object:

  1. Create a teapot primitive.
  2. Apply a Slice modifier.

    The Slice Plane gizmo appears at the base of the teapot.

  3. On the modifier stack, expand the Slice modifier hierarchy and highlight the Slice Plane gizmo.
  4. Move the Slice Plane gizmo so it intersects the middle of the teapot.
  5. Rotate the Slice Plane gizmo so it is vertical.
  6. Turn on Remove Top.

    The back of the teapot is sliced away.

  7. Turn on Remove Bottom.

    The front half of the teapot is sliced away.

Example: To animate the appearance of a teapot using the Slice modifier:

  1. Create a teapot primitive. Set the viewport to wireframe.
  2. Apply a Slice modifier.

    The Slice Plane gizmo appears at the base of the teapot.

  3. On the modifier stack, highlight the Slice Plane gizmo.
  4. Turn on (Auto Key), and drag the time slider to frame 100.
  5. Move the Slice Plane gizmo above the top of the teapot. Play the animation to verify that the slice plane is animated.
  6. Change the Slice type from Refine Mesh (the default) to Remove Top. Play the animation again.
  7. Make a copy of the teapot in the same position (choose Edit menu Clone and click OK to accept the default settings).
  8. Put a Wireframe material on the clone and change the Slice type on the clone to Remove Bottom.
  9. Play the animation.

    The wireframe teapot magically becomes a fully shaded one.

Interface

Modifier Stack

Slice Plane

At this sub-object level, you can transform and animate the gizmo like any other object to determine where the slice occurs. Scaling the gizmo has no effect, because its extents are effectively infinite. If you need to limit the extent of the slice, use it on a sub-object selection set of faces, rather than on the entire object.

For more information on the stack display, see Modifier Stack.

Slice Parameters rollout

Slice Type

Defines how the slice plane will affect the geometry to which it has been applied.

  • Refine Mesh Adds new vertices and edges along the intersection of the geometry with the slicing plane. Faces cut by the plane are subdivided into new faces.
  • Split Mesh Adds a double set of vertices and edges along the plane boundary, producing two separate meshes (one on either side of the slice plane), which you can modify differently if desired. Use this to break a mesh in two.
  • Remove Top Deletes all the faces and vertices above the Slice Plane.
  • Remove Bottom Deletes all the faces and vertices below the Slice Plane.
Operate On

Choose one of these buttons to specify how the slice handles quads and other polygons.

  • Faces Treats the selection set as a set of triangular faces, slicing each one in turn. Outputs a mesh-type object.
  • Polygons Converts the object to a polygon mesh based on visible edges, eliminating hidden edges. Outputs a polymesh-type object.

    Operate On Face versus Operate On Polygon

Parent topic: Object-Space Modifiers