Tricky problem cutting solid with surface

[Anonymous]

I've run into an issue that nothing in my (small) bag of tricks is solving.  

I have an air duct (modeled in the form tool).  It currently runs through a solid body.  I simply cannot figure out how to cut the solid using the form surface.  In the end I will hide the pieces that reside inside the duct after cut.

I have tried:

- Combine-Cut won't let me select the duct

- Patch/Stitch (won't stitch) to create a solid of the duct

- Boundary fill to create a solid of the duct doesn't like selecting the duct itself as a boundary

- Split body only works when extending the cutting tool, but then ends up shooting the cut out the side of the body

- Extrude patch along path (it says the splines that used to create the form do not touch the patch)

Any other tricks I could try?

Btw. I tried to attach an f3z file but the page does not like that. What is the recommended way of sharing a project file on here?

[JDMather]

Zip file before Attaching.

[davebYYPCU]

From data Panel, file - Right Click, Select share public link, 

tick allow download, copy paste the reference link text into a new post message.

have you exited from Sculpt area?

Is the solid body to be cut, a Linked Component?  Won’t work.if it is, 

Is the duct, a surface body?  (Orange icon in Body list?). If so Patch the openings, Stitch to solid, then Combine cut duct out of solid body, should work.

Might help....

[Anonymous]

Here is a link to the project

https://a360.co/30GGLR8

[Anonymous]

Thank you. I have shared the link now.

I tried the patch and stitch option prior to posting.  It patches fine, but it is unable to stitch.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

I can see the file in A360, won't hold my breath for the download, most times it will not arrive, should be here by now.

Can you tell me why the patches across the openings, and the stitch is failing.

If you split body one side at a time, you say that fails too?  Split body requires that the cutter will actually give a two body result, so if either end of the duct does not extend past the fuse it can fail, so extending should work. Closer look at rear end, doesn’t look like it protrudes out enough, so Split will fail unless the tube is extended.

When selecting the cut tool, select the body in the browser.

Might help.....

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response. This was the issue. I thought my form was right at the edge of the body, but apparently it wasn't. By extending each end slightly, I was able to perform the split with no other steps.

[davebYYPCU]

Great, was hard to tell in the viewer.