How to achieve “see through”?

imageHi,
Using the excellent new beginner’s tutorials as a guide, I’m trying some very basic exercises. In this case, I’ve approached the grouping several ways but can’t figure out how to make these intersecting X, Y and Z tubes “see through”, not in terms of transparency but rather, in terms of eliminating the portions of the tubes that criss-cross in the intersection, thereby blocking my ability to look down barrel without the view being blocked - hope that makes sense. The green tube is the same length as the others and protrudes equally out the back! image|666x500

Why not start with solid tubes and then do the subtracts? And then make what’s left, thin-walled… Hope that this helps.

Tommy

Thanks much Tommyn,
Until the new beginners tutorials I was getting nowhere fast as My 3D experience was zero (chuckle) so let me see if I did something different then. I started with solids, then laid them out as shown then did offsets which I pulled through to remove the cores. I thought this would eliminate the intersecting side wall portions but it hasn’t.

This is the sketch I started with.
image

Hmm, tried it again as L ‘think” Tommy suggested but same result.image

Got it but perhaps not the most efficient way by creating separate sketches outside the main grouping then pulling them through the fully selected grouping and using the subtract tool.

I noticed that the snap to doesn’t work on the sketches I pulled through - maybe because solids had been extruded at that point?

image

Okay, this time I found out I could pull the offsets through and subtract so snap to not needed. Progress! :blush:

image

Here you go:

  1. Draw a circle
  2. Extrude to a cylinder
  3. Rotate with the “copy” option to create multiple
  4. Select all, and use the “Union” tool to unite
  5. Use the “Shell” tool, and select all of the ends
  6. Set thickness, and voila!

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2 Likes

Elegant solution! Thanks

Thanks for helping me along uber.geek and Tommy.