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Boolean Operations

This page focuses on practical Yo.Town Maker boolean operations: Union, Difference for hole-cutting, and Intersection extraction. You can run these in either Playground or Real Crafting, with different levels of flexibility and setup speed.

When to use this​

  • Combine two models into one (Union)
  • Cut holes or remove parts from a model (Difference)
  • Keep only overlapping geometry (Intersection)

Which approach to choose (focus on Difference)​

Option 1: Use Difference in Playground (more customizable)​

Pros

  • You can import custom models (including models generated from images), so flexibility is high.
  • Better for personalized shapes and more complex cut paths.

Watch-outs

  • You need finer manual control of position, size, and angle.
  • New users may need a few tries to get alignment and overlap right.
warning

For Difference in Playground, selection order matters: select A first, then B.
The result is A - B.

Option 2: Use Real Crafting (easier to start)​

Pros

  • More fixed and intuitive workflow, so it is quicker to learn.
  • Basic position and size adjustments are often enough to get usable results.

Watch-outs

  • Editable range is smaller than Playground, but faster for practical outcomes.
  • This path is mainly based on platform-provided models and tools.

Before you start​

  1. Open Playground (or Real Crafting) and prepare 2 overlapping models (for example, a cube and a cylinder).
  2. Position them so they clearly intersect.
  3. Choose the boolean type you need: Union / Difference / Intersection.
tip

Before running boolean operations, create a backup copy (for example by sharing/saving as a post). If the result is not ideal, you can reopen that model and continue from there.

Example A: Union (merge into one object)​

Goal: Merge a cube and a cylinder into one connected model.

  1. Select both models (multi-select).
  2. Click Union.
  3. Check the result: they should become one object.
  4. Use move/rotate/scale if you need to adjust placement.

Quick checks

  • Is it still two separate objects?
  • Is the merged seam acceptable?

Example B: Difference (cut a hole)​

Goal: Cut a cylindrical hole through a cube.

  1. Prepare a base object (cube) and a cutter object (cylinder).
  2. Select the base first, then the cutter.
  3. Click Difference.
  4. Check the result: the cube should have a hole or slot where the cutter overlaps.

Quick checks

  • Selection order correct? (Wrong order can invert the result.)
  • Does the cutter actually pass through the base?

Example C: Intersection (keep overlap only)​

Goal: Keep only the overlapping volume of a cube and a sphere.

  1. Prepare two overlapping objects.
  2. Select both objects.
  3. Click Intersection.
  4. Check the result: only the shared overlap remains.

Quick checks

  • Is there enough overlap area?
  • Does the shape match your expectation?

Continue in Real Crafting (optional)​

After boolean operations, you can switch to Real Crafting for quick adjustments and detail refinement:

  1. Use workflow navigation to open Real Crafting.
  2. If the result already looks good, you can export directly.
  3. If you want cleaner surface details, use sculpt / attach / base tools to refine.
  4. Mortise-and-hinge operations are also supported: choose the joint type you need and connect parts faster.

FAQ​

Q1: Nothing changed after clicking a boolean operation​

  • Make sure two objects are selected.
  • Check that the two objects actually overlap.
  • It may just be taking longer to compute; wait a moment and check again.
  • Undo, slightly adjust placement, and try again.

Q2: Difference result looks reversed​

  • Re-run with correct selection order: base first, cutter second.

Q3: Edges look rough after boolean​

  • Undo, slightly adjust overlap position, and run again.
  • Or switch to Real Crafting for cleanup.