# How to achieve “see through”?

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208 "2018-04-03T22:12:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/1 "2018-04-03T22:12:30Z")

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![image](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/9/980f89995739156c4fbb8b830767d5e9d147868f.jpg)Hi,  
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

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**Author:** ![tommyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tommyn/32/1714_2.png) [@tommyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/tommyn)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/2 "2018-04-03T22:15:59Z")

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

Tommy

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/3 "2018-04-03T22:23:51Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/4 "2018-04-03T22:27:10Z")

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This is the sketch I started with.  
 ![image](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/8/84cec693510281aa40403e9bab1552ac5fc25ffa.jpg)

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/5 "2018-04-03T22:59:04Z")

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Hmm, tried it again as L ‘think” Tommy suggested but same result. ![image](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/6/6183ab1863cd1af1220f45dce5587dbaa421a29a.jpg)

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/6 "2018-04-04T00:41:38Z")

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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](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/0/0484b36c683ab495d337257dd5604d55f081f28c.jpg)

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**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/7 "2018-04-04T01:12:55Z")

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

![image](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/5/5ad40ccd09e79d8feb5c1de8dc8eac10068bf3b8.jpg)

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**Author:** ![uber.geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b782af/32.png) [@uber.geek](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/uber.geek)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/8 "2018-04-04T01:40:27Z")

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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!

![image](https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/2X/9/9c02bf39d9bc3f7eb11aa759d31a0e6554857522.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![tommyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tommyn/32/1714_2.png) [@tommyn](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/tommyn)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/9 "2018-04-04T02:43:31Z")

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Elegant solution! Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GeraldVowles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@GeraldVowles](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/GeraldVowles)\
**Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-achieve-see-through/2208/10 "2018-04-04T12:15:07Z")

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Thanks for helping me along uber.geek and Tommy.