# Cutting holes in solid objects **URL:** \ **Category:** SketchUp\ **Created:** [May 11, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036 "2016-05-11T22:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![taw1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@taw1000](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/taw1000)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/1 "2016-05-11T22:36:46Z")
How can I cut a hole or a slot in a solid object. I can’t just push out the circle or rectangle I draw on the surface, so what can I do? ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/2 "2016-05-11T22:43:12Z")
Could you show us an example? Is the “solid object” a group or component? If so, open it for editing and then draw the circle or rectangle on the face. You should be able to use Push/Pull then. ---
**Author:** ![josephkim626](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/josephkim626/32/31239_2.png) [@josephkim626](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/josephkim626)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/3 "2016-05-12T12:08:29Z")
If you have pro version… > **[Modeling Complex 3D Shapes with the Solid Tools | SketchUp Help](https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup/modeling-complex-3d-shapes-solid-tools)** > > With SketchUp’s Solid tools, you can create new shapes by combining or cutting one shape with another, making it easy to model an outer shell or joinery. Solid tools? ---
**Author:** ![taw1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@taw1000](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/taw1000)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/4 "2016-05-12T16:04:43Z")
The object is a solid. When I do as you suggest, the result of the push is not a hole, it is a projection out the back side of the object. ---
**Author:** ![Cotty](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/cotty/32/251290_2.png) [@Cotty](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Cotty)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/5 "2016-05-12T16:06:26Z")
> [@taw1000](#): > > When I do as you suggest I don’t see the suggested example? ---
**Author:** ![mac7595](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/mac7595/32/650_2.png) [@mac7595](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/mac7595)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/6 "2016-05-12T16:07:13Z")
Taw1000: Both daveR and josephkim are on point but, remember PP needs to work perpendicular to surface. For solid tools it is generally good idea to avoid Booleans on coincident surfaces. For example: if you make L shape and use two blocks do it by subtraction do not union by bringing two faces together. The program you are using may think that is a non manifold face. If you want more info on that issue send me email and I’lll give you link on discussion topic. ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/7 "2016-05-12T16:16:06Z")
For the second time, please post an example SKP file showing what you are trying to do. There are too many unknowns in your description to be able to give you a good answer. ---
**Author:** ![taw1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@taw1000](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/taw1000)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/8 "2016-05-12T18:42:16Z")
Hi Dave, Sorry there was no example. I have attached a simple example that shows that I am having difficulty creating a hole in an object. I am using Sketchup 2016 Make. Thanks for any help you can provide. Tom White 379 Bay Laurel Lane Hendersonville, NC 28791 (828) 698-9315 (828) 551-3261 [Example.skp](https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/hv3FOFRM7WZP58qSFbI7ns1heXR.skp) (107 KB) ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/9 "2016-05-12T18:47:54Z")
Tom, With this example, it looks like you didn’t end the Push/Pull operation at the back face of the box. Push/Pull will let you continue extruding until you say stop. Two ways to do that in this case. Move the tool to the back edge and click telling Push/Pull this is as far as you want to extrude the face. ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/6/7/676f75e6e70c3cb080222a6c661daecf39f609ac.png) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/1/b/1be3c796c53edeb5be7227b05ae6c9cb4bcc5243.png) The other way would be to start the Push/Pull operation and then type the distance. ---
**Author:** ![Shep](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/shep/32/41669_2.png) [@Shep](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Shep)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/10 "2016-05-12T18:49:18Z")
Tom, You are almost there. Way to go using components/groups. Click with the push/pull tool and infer the distance by the edge of your block. Shep ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/a/f/afade573b7ad57645e3bfe538f100f9900e333eb.gif) ---
**Author:** ![taw1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/54ee81/32.png) [@taw1000](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/taw1000)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/11 "2016-05-12T19:03:32Z")
Thank you, Dave. I understand that I need to restrict my push/pull to the thickness of the object either by eye or by dimension. It works perfectly! ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/12 "2016-05-12T19:13:40Z")
You’re quite welcome, Tom. Obviously it’s faster and easier if you can reference something in the model so you don’t have to stop and type the dimension. On the other hand, sometimes you need the Push/Pull operation to go only a limited distance and you haven’t got a reference to use so then typing the specific distance is the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![tozer9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@tozer9](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/tozer9)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:04pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/13 "2020-06-15T14:04:59Z")
Hi all, I didn’t choose to create a new thread. The reason being is that I tried the above suggestions but all I seem to get is a rectangle on both sides of my wall. The hole doesn’t actually open up…I’ve tried to push beyond, intersect faces and delete but still I don’t see the hole. I’ve attached my skp for reference. What I’ve found weird, is that when I draw the rectangle on the face of the wall, there seem to be shadows appearing on the floor of the model…strange but I’m sure someone has insight on that as well… Thanks [Basement.skp](https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/5cY8yEVXZqOAVWXGVBCMCsGdVzj.skp) (66.2 KB) ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/14 "2020-06-15T14:10:33Z")
What I see is called Z-fighting because you have two faces sharing the same space. Here I’ve moved the wall group down so the other face can be seen. ![Screenshot - 6_15_2020 , 9_08_31 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/d/b/db3e53e2fdbf8cae3025d58c160441de89b99ccb.png) I also see you are using layers/tags incorrectly. You have layers assigned to raw geometry which you shouldn’t have. After fixing that… ![Screenshot - 6_15_2020 , 9_10_07 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/5/1/514db800efba20c0c7088583a15977ec3b462d39.png) You seem to be a little over-zealous in your grouping. The wall group contains another group plus a bunch of ungrouped geometry. If you want to cut a hole through the basement wall you need to open the groups until you get to the wall geometry. ![Screenshot - 6_15_2020 , 9_13_22 AM](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/5/8/583a6645bdf2f83afd2c5be34fdd38691efa4b67.png) Generally I think you’d find it useful to limit the nested group thing. It seems to just create a problem for you instead of fix problems. Nesting has its place but it needs to be used correctly or it just makes more work. ---
**Author:** ![tozer9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@tozer9](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/tozer9)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/15 "2020-06-15T14:56:23Z")
Wow…ok DaveR thanks So, in looking at your breakdown it seems that I have duplicated the floor somehow, where one floor face appears in one group and another appears in another group? I’ve been following along with a training that I bought online through Fine Homebuilding called Sketchup for Builders as I attempt to design my basement to help envision changes for an upcoming remodel. The trainer does seem to create a lot of groups so i was following along with that theme but I understand what you mean, I could reduce the number of groups by combining certain elements together to create fewer groups. What do you mean by, “You have layers assigned to raw geometry which you shouldn’t have” I didn’t realize you could have groups within groups creating a nest. I’ll try to fix that too. Perhaps “Paste in Place” is a culprit for some of this issue. ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/16 "2020-06-15T15:31:26Z")
> [@tozer9](#): > > What do you mean by, “You have layers assigned to raw geometry which you shouldn’t have” The correct practice would be to leave Layer 0 assigned to all edges and faces and only give other layer assignments to groups and components. Also Layer 0 should always be the active one. (In SU2020 and the web versions, Layers are replaced by Tags.) > [@tozer9](#): > > I didn’t realize you could have groups within groups creating a nest. Think of creating a component or group as putting what you have selected into a wrapper or container. A chocolate truffle, wrapped in foil, for example. If you put the wrapped choclate in a box, you have nested it. In SketchUp you would normally only put two or more chocolates in a box. And then it’s possible to put the box of chocolates along with more boxes of chocolates in a case and then, say, a dozen cases on a pallet and wrap that up with cling wrap. If that’s done in a logical way, it makes sense and can be very useful. On the other hand, if you want to get into the chocolate you have to open the cling wrap, open the case, open the box and then open the foil so every level of nesting can create more work. ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/17 "2020-06-15T15:36:09Z")
Another very common issue to avoid is pointless nesting. We see a lot of models here in which the user has put a group inside another group along with nothing else, then put that wrapper group inside still another group with nothing else. Rinse, repeat… When you import a model, SketchUp will wrap it in a component to prevent unintentional interaction with other model contents. You should immediately check whether this extra stage of nesting is really needed and explode it if not. ---
**Author:** ![tozer9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@tozer9](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/tozer9)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/18 "2020-06-15T17:59:32Z")
Hi DaveR, how did you break my groups into it’s parts and move them so that you could see them all in an “exploded” view? ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 6:01pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/19 "2020-06-15T18:01:39Z")
For the first screen shot showing the excess floor face, I select the wall group and move it down. For the last one showing the floor face with the other geometry I opened the wall group and selected the inner wall group which I then moved down. ---
**Author:** ![tozer9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@tozer9](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/tozer9)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2020, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036/20 "2020-06-16T13:36:40Z")
Ok, so just for completing the cycle here and to make sure I took into account your suggestions, yes I was able to finally make the hole. But the push through only went to the outside of the wall, I had to flip the model around and delete the grey rectangle which then allowed me to open the hole. I opened the Outliner Tray and saw the Nested Group. I pulled it out of the inner group and exploded all groups so I was left with no groups. Not sure if this is what you had suggested or not. I believe I fixed the issue with the excess floor face, I don’t see the Z-fighting anymore. There were a few things I needed to clean up where certain layers were missing the full shape, posts had the outline but not the volume inside the post. I’m still not sure I understand this comment when it comes to the model that I’ve created, and I suppose in general. > Blockquote [quote=“tozer9, post:15, topic:25036”] > What do you mean by, “You have layers assigned to raw geometry which you shouldn’t have” The correct practice would be to leave Layer 0 assigned to all edges and faces and only give other layer assignments to groups and components. Also Layer 0 should always be the active one. (In SU2020 and the web versions, Layers are replaced by Tags.) [/quote] In my current model I still have Layers, maybe more than I should. I could probably get rid of Walls and Floor, keeping them in Layer 0 but I do want Posts and Beam separate so that I can hide these easier. If I understand your “Correct Practice” comment, I should assign Floors and Walls to Layer 0 and remove these Layers but create Posts and Beam as Group and assign them to their own respective Layers?[Basement\_clean\_1.skp](https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/hdf57MwPXyO2lGUqdjePjnE6Arx.skp) (59.2 KB) [Next page](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cutting-holes-in-solid-objects/25036.md?page=2)