SLICE (Command)

Creates new 3D solids and surfaces by slicing, or dividing, existing objects.

Access Methods

Button

 Toolbar: Modeling tool set Solids - Edit tool group (expanded) Slice

 Menu:  Modify 3D Operations Slice

Summary

The cutting plane is defined with 2 or 3 points, by specifying a major plane of the UCS, or by selecting a surface object (but not a mesh). Either one or both sides of the sliced 3D solids can be retained.

The sliced objects retain the layer and color properties of the original solids. However, the resulting solid or surface objects do not retain a history of the original objects.

Objects that Can Be Used in a Slice Operation

Objects that can be sliced	Objects that can be used as cutting planes
3D solids	Surfaces
Surfaces	Circles
	Ellipses
	Circular or elliptical arcs
	2D splines
	3D polyline segments

List of Prompts

The following prompts are displayed.

Objects to slice

Specifies the 3D solid or surface object that you want to slice. If you select a mesh object, you can choose to convert it to a 3D solid or surface before completing the slice operation.

• Start point of slicing plane
• Planar object
• Surface
• Z axis
• View
• XY
• YZ
• ZX
• 3points

Start point of slicing plane

Sets the first of two points that define the angle of the slicing plane. The slicing plane is perpendicular to the XY plane of the current UCS.

• Second point on plane. Sets the second of two points on the slicing plane.
  • Point on desired side
  • Keep both sides

Planar object

Aligns the cutting plane with a plane that contains a selected circle, ellipse, circular or elliptical arc, 2D spline, or 2D polyline segment.

• Select a circle, ellipse, arc, 2D-spline, or 2D-polyline. Specifies the object to use for alignment.

Surface

Aligns the cutting plane with a surface.

• Select a surface. Specifies a surface to be used for alignment.
  Note: You cannot select meshes created with the EDGESURF, REVSURF, RULESURF, and TABSURF commands.
  • Point on desired side
  • Keep both sides

Z axis

Defines the cutting plane by specifying a point on the plane and another point on the Z axis (normal) of the plane.

• Specify a point on the section plane. Sets a point on the slicing plane.
• Specify a point on the Z-axis (normal) of the plane. Specifies a point that defines the axis that is perpendicular to the slicing plane.
• • Point on desired side
  • Keep both sides

View

Aligns the cutting plane with the current viewport's viewing plane. Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane.

• Specify a point on the current view plane. Sets a point on the object to start the slice.
• • Point on desired side
  • Keep both sides

XY

Aligns the cutting plane with the XY plane of the current user coordinate system (UCS). Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane.

• Point on the XY-plane. Sets the location of the slice.
• • Point on desired side
  • Keep both sides

YZ

Aligns the cutting plane with the YZ plane of the current UCS. Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane.

• Point on the YZ-plane. Sets the location of the slice.

ZX

Aligns the cutting plane with the ZX plane of the current UCS. Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane.

• Point on the ZX-plane. Sets the location of the slice.

  If a single object is sliced into more than two objects, one solid or surface is created from the objects on one side of the plane and another solid or surface is created from the objects on the other side.

  
  

3points

Defines the cutting plane using three points.

Point on desired side

Uses a point to determine which side of the sliced solids your drawing retains. The point cannot lie on the cutting plane.

Keep both sides

Retains both sides of the sliced solids. Slicing a single solid into two pieces creates two solids from the pieces on either side of the plane. SLICE never creates more than two new composite solids for each selected solid.