Break Solid

Insert Surface Break Solid

The Break Solid command enables you to break one ore more solids up into all their component surfaces (by using the Global option) or extract only some of the component surfaces from a selected solid (by using the Local option), depending on your choice in the Mode drop-down list.

This capability enables you to revert back to surface modeling at any time. You can also reverse this operation at any time to convert the model back into a solid again.

The Color drop-down list enables you to define the color of the resulting surfaces:

Current : All the surfaces will be of the current color define in the status bar.
Keep : The surfaces will retain the individual colors of the solid face(s).

When using the Global option, you can control the layer onto which the resulting surfaces will be placed. In the Layer drop-down list three modes are available:

Solid Layer :	all the surfaces will be placed onto the layer on which the solid is currently located.
Original Layer :	all the surfaces will be placed onto the layer on which they were originally created
Specify Layer :	enables you to specify the layer onto which to place all the resulting surfaces. A Layer drop-down list is displayed, in which you can either choose an existing layer or type in the name of a new one to create it.

Please note what follows:

If you select the Global option, the selected solids are broken into their component surfaces and those surfaces are then displayed. Since this operation destroys the solids, you can't apply it if the solids have relations. In that case, the program displays a message alerting you to this fact. If you are sure that you want to break up the solids, you must first remove their relations.
If you use the Global option on a solid you had made using associative surfaces, you will still obtain associative surfaces.
In the case of Local break, the surfaces you obtain can be linked to the original solid (if you modify the solid, the surface will follow, and vice versa) by selecting the Associative Mode check box. See " Associative Surfaces (Skins)" for details.

To make a solid associatively linked to its component surfaces you can use the Make Solid command and select its Associative Mode option.

Try to ...

Break a solid into surfaces