# Trying to remove a body, completely inside another

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607 "2025-04-22T00:05:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@stone](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/stone)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607/1 "2025-04-22T00:05:48Z")

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I’m trying to create a cavity inside a body. I made a body to cut out the desired shape, I moved it into place, then tried the subtract tool, and the tool doesn’t complete. Same with intersect.

I found a subtract tool video, and I’m getting the impression that subtract only works on over lapping bodies?

Then the video discusses using history, on the boolean.

So, can you use history and get this job done? If so, could someone give me some tips on how to do this. I haven’t gotten to history yet.

For discussion’s sake let’s say you have a solid cube, and you want to put a sphere inside and then remove it, to make a blind cavity. Is this possible?

I didn’t think this would be a big deal.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

ps If there’s a good tutorial on history, please let me know.

update: my actual model is a hole with two cavities where another  
part inserts into  
I had put in my cut body, and the subtract tool wouldn’t work.  
Then I tried cutting the hole, which split my cut body on each side of  
the hole, tried the subtract tool, and presto!

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 3:12am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607/2 "2025-04-22T03:12:43Z")

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Yes, bodies must overlap in order for **Subtract** and **Intersect** to work, same for **Union**.  
Here’s your example of removing a sphere from the inside of a cube.

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**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607/3 "2025-04-22T18:16:55Z")

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I haven’t seen the video so this is just a guess about utilizing History for the Boolean.

If you subtract you still and can reposition, by selecting movement of the subtracted item in the history.

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**Author:** ![stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@stone](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/stone)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607/4 "2025-04-22T19:48:41Z")

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I’m not sure what’s going on here. Did this work, because you moved the sphere?  
I’m not too sure how to use the section tool. But thanks for the interesting video.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2025, 8:19am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/trying-to-remove-a-body-completely-inside-another/37607/5 "2025-04-23T08:19:31Z")

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The sphere and cube occupy the same space. After viewing the sphere I unhid the cube then subtracted the sphere. Upon subtract, it will delete the sphere by default. I chose to keep the sphere. I then selected the sphere from the Items list and moved it away. There is a Section button above the undo/redo buttons. Hope this helps.