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Cutting holes into a shell

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Does anyone know hole to make holes in an object/model thats been turned into a shell, the problem i am having is i need to cut a hole(s) through the shell.

I am trying to create a “head” for a puppet head, i need the head to be hollow to allow for the animatronic mechanism to fit inside the head, the problem i am having is i cannot cut holes in the shell for the insertion of the Eyes and the jawbone.

I tryed using the insert shape then using subract mode, but that created another issue, wher i cannot place or run objects through the holes, so i cannot insert the ends of the jawbone into the holes i have cut.

How do i cut usable holes into an object thats been turned into a shell ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

#2

Hello @Rogue_Fox ,

Impossible to advise you perfectly without getting an idea for the situation, but generally speaking:

  1. Make certain all shapes involved are closed 3d solids with a degree of thickness. So if a shape has been “shelled” already it will have both an exterior facing surface and an interior facing surface. Any cut you make into that volume will draw geometry between those surfaces. An open 2D volume will not work, and a closed 3d volume without an interior facing surface is not a shell.

  2. Follow the instructions for Live Boolean to use another shape like a cylinder to cut a hole through that shell. Note this shape must penetrate both exterior and interior surfaces to create an actual hole, otherwise it will merely create an indentation in the outer surface.

If this process doesn’t work for any reason, be sure to read the documentation for information about problems with the geometry that may keep the boolean process from working.

https://docs.pixologic.com/user-guide/3d-modeling/modeling-basics/creating-meshes/live-boolean/

:slight_smile: