# How can I subtract a sketch around a body
**URL:** https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276
**Category:** Modeling Questions
**Created:** [December 29, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276 "2022-12-29T13:39:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/1 "2022-12-29T13:39:09Z")
I have this tapered box I would like to remove a sketch from all around it.
You will notice in the screenshot below, there is a sketch on the left side. the idea is to remove that piece out of my body all around.
I couldn’t figure this one out, what is the best tool to use to achieve this? Am I approaching this wrong? I’m modelling based on what you think in the background (Mesh body). I’m trying to replicate that.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/2 "2022-12-29T14:45:29Z")
Tap the sketch and then drag from the back of the sketch across one side of the square object to cut the shape. Then rotate the object 90 degrees and repeat the cut. Repeat for the other two sides and you are done.
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/3 "2022-12-29T14:54:37Z")
yea I tried that previously with varying success. The box has a draft angle, so that sketch initially cuts into the body then protrudes out at some out. At some point, I managed to align the angle of the sketch but again had varying degrees of success. Especially at the point where I had to rotate 90 degrees and then rotate again.It wasn’t aligning correctly.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/4 "2022-12-29T14:57:45Z")
I had a quick go at it. When rotating the object, make sure your rotation point is in the middle.
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/5 "2022-12-29T16:15:52Z")
That box doesn’t have a draft angle or?
But that gives an idea actually, thanks mate
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### Author:  [@JST](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/JST)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/6 "2022-12-29T18:57:19Z")
Make a construction plane trough the upper edge of your box ,
Project your sketh to the plane , after subtract as Stephen said…
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/7 "2022-12-29T18:57:39Z")
I ended up changing my approach. Rather than adding the draft angel to box, I added it to the sketch of the cutout I want to achieve.
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### Author:  [@PEC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/PEC)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/8 "2022-12-30T11:27:30Z")
Hi Acegreen,
Welcome to the forum.
You should also consider the sweep tool for this kind of work, as you can sweep a sketch along one or several body’s edges.
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/9 "2022-12-30T12:48:19Z")
Thanks this is exactly what I was looking for. I tried profile but clearly misunderstood its functionality.
I was actually hoping to start off with a cross section exactly as you did.
Appreciate it mate
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 12:49pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/10 "2022-12-30T12:49:40Z")
On a separate note, do you happen to know why when I try to union two bodies, it doesn’t work with no an error given?
The second body just get renamed to the first but they both appear in my folder?
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### Author:  [@PEC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/PEC)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/11 "2022-12-30T12:59:49Z")
Maybe you have selected _Keep Originals : On_ when using the union tool?
If so, the union tool creates a third body and preserves the original ones unchanged, so you ended with 3 bodies.
If you switch it off, you will get only one body as the result of the union.
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/12 "2022-12-30T13:30:33Z")
No, its off, I union’d bodies before and it worked, but this time its just glitching for some reason. I can even rename the second body and when I union again, it will change the name but not combine the parts, nor create two new parts (keeps originals is off as mentioned)
edit: I also tried toggling keep originals on/off, just to see if that would fix the glitch, but no it doesn’t.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/14 "2022-12-30T20:03:55Z")
If you upload the file, we could check it and look for the problem.
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/15 "2022-12-30T20:05:46Z")
@PEC Great solution there with the Sweep tool 👍
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/16 "2022-12-30T20:31:00Z")
Will a [public link](https://collaborate.shapr3d.com/v/9uiWnnpwbIEeWREx1V0U2) work?
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### Author:  [@Stephen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/17 "2022-12-31T17:35:30Z")
That link is only the Webviewer. We would need the actual project file exported as a Shapr project.
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### Author:  [@acegreen](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/acegreen)
#### Post date: [January 1, 2023, 5:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-can-i-subtract-a-sketch-around-a-body/23276/18 "2023-01-01T17:15:43Z")
Oh I’m on the free version, not sure if that’s possible