Cutting out several circles

SketchUp
1

Hi everyone,

I am drawing a piece of furniture and would like to cut out many circles (of 3 different radius) from the face, but I do not want to push each circle at a time. How to push one and the rest will follow? I tried making the first cluster of circles a component, move the cluster to the surface and then trying to push one of the circles, but all I get is a copy of it on the other side of the face.

Thanks

2

Pushing and cutting out are two different things. Push/Pull works on one face at a time.

Perhaps there is a better way to accomplish what you want to do. Tell us in more detail what your desired end-state is for these holes.

-Gully

3

Here is the deal:
I am drawing a plywood baby crib. On the sides of the crib there will be circles instead of bars; they are of three different sizes (10, 8 and 5 cm diameter). Since there are close to 100 circles I don´t want to find myself pushing each circle to make the cut out effect that I need.

[quote=“Gully_Foyle, post:2, topic:1660”]
Pushing and cutting out are two different things
[/quote
As far as I know the pushing tool will do the cutting on a surface model, wouldn´t it?

Thanks Gully

4

Make the hole pattern before Push/Pulling the panel to thickness. You can copy a hole pattern on a face. Be sure you take advantage of linear and radial arrays.

I would distinguish between “Pushing” (a hole) and “cutting out” a hole as follows:

  • Cutting out implies creating a shaped outline on a face (either by
    drawing it or by using the Intersect command) and then deleting the
    cutout.
  • Pushing implies creating an extrusion, either positive or
    negative. If an extrusion exactly connects two parallel faces, it
    creates a tunnel between the faces open at both ends. It doesn’t
    really “cut” anything.

-Gully

5

For fast pushpull for the faces 2…N you can double click them to get the same distance as before.
(AFTER you practiced this, you can use the plugin JPP (jointpushpull) to push them all at once).

6

Let me see if I got it right (English is not my mother tongue). You are telling me to draw the circle pattern and then move it to the crib´s side panel and then pull the panel to thickness so the circles would be “left behind” as holes?
I am not using the array procedure because the circles are scattered randomly.
This is become my SU personal challenge!

7

This is what I have so far, but now I can´t push any of the circles. What I get when a push is the circle in one side of the panel and a circle hole on the other side…

8

That typically means the faces aren’t parallel. The faces must be parallel for the push to form a tunnel.

You (apparently) pulled the side panel to thickness and then drew the circles directly on the panel. You should draw the circles first, on the panel (and delete the face inside the circle), then pull to thickness. You can copy a circle with the face cut out of the center, but you can’t copy a hole with the end caps removed.

I’m really reluctant to advise new users to use extensions before they learn how to do the corresponding operation manually with the native tools, otherwise, obviously, the new user will never learn that technique.

-Gully

9

One way without the use of a plugin (make sure that the circles are intersecting the face) …

10

Having already pulled the side panel to thickness does make pushing individual holes laborious.
Hole cutting components might help here, but they only cut one face.

There’s an old trick for cutting windows in thick walls of a house or a baby crib.
Simply nest two hole-cutting components inside a third ‘parent’ component.
When the parent is exploded the remaining hole-cutting components cut their respective holes.
Note the parent component is not given hole-cutting properties.

Here’s an example:
Cutting Holes in 2 Faces.skp (38.9 KB)

-Geo

11

With the use of two plugins:

  • Joint Push Pull (JPP)
  • FixIt
12

Wow!!! One question, many answers. I really did learn a lot with one single question.
Thank you all

Greetings

13

By the way, here is the final result.

14

With no extensions, the OP learns technique and begins to understand the power of SU’s native tools..

-Geo

15

I hope the tyke doesn’t get his tiny hand caught in a hole.

-Gully

16

Cotty, greetings…
I really appreciate your efforts by uploading the video. This is what meant by (Thinking out of the box!)

17

As you said

there are tasks where

is not enough, why not suggest powerful plugins for these cases?

I’ve got this comment nearly with every answer where I’ve suggested a plugin, maybe I’ve not read the policy “don’t suggest plugins in this forum”?

18

I am actually thinking of making less holes and cover them with colorful plastic plates

19

I think plugins are great tools too, I just seem to have a problem with them, somehow I can not install them in my computer…

20

Great, thanks!!!
It looks so simply once you see somebody else do it.

Adolfo