opBoolean() with BooleanOperationType.INTERSECTION fails with @opBoolean: BOOLEAN_BAD_INPUT

Comments

• ry_gb Member, csevp, pcbaevp Posts: 167 PRO

  December 2025 edited December 2025

  Copied Onshape doc

  It's a bit confusing to understand what you're trying to do without the goal modeled in CAD for us to compare with. However, if I understand correctly, the spineCubes are cubes running diagonally down the "spine" of the pyramid. And you're trying to intersect those with the pyramid. I think you're doing it in a for loop because I tried doing them all at once and that didn't quite work. Is that correct?

  Here's what I saw. Below is the "corrected" code:

  • You're using tools and target for Intersection, which isn't valid. You just need Tools, from what I see in the Standard Library Documentation.
  • Also, in spineId, you need to put the index before the feature name or else you'll get an error.
  • Lastly, I'm not 100% sure you need to use keepTools in your boolean subtract, but I'm not sure what the intent is.
  • Same thing with targetsAndToolsNeedGrouping

    for (var ii = 0; ii < size(spineCubes) ; ii += 1 ) {
          const spineId = id + ii+ "spine";
          const spineCube = qUnion([ spineCubes[ii], pyramid]);         
          const options = {
              "tools": spineCube,
              "operationType": BooleanOperationType.INTERSECTION,
              "keepTools": true
          };
  

  Ramon Yip | glassboard.com

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• jelte_steur_info Member Posts: 638 PRO

  December 2025

  you could consider BooleanOperationType.SUBTRACT_COMPLEMENT if you want to essentially do an interesection but keep the control over tool/target. (because target retains it's identity), and allow multiple tools to intersect with only one target.
  This may make your for loop obsolete

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• Derek_Van_Allen_BD Member Posts: 646 PRO

  December 2025

  I just cleaned up a community made feature with that trick @jelte_steur_info. I kind of wish that was just the default behavior of intersect

  Derek Van Allen | Engineering Consultant | Meddler

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• jelte_steur_info Member Posts: 638 PRO

  December 2025

  just FYI: I just took the effort to publish the basic boolean feature

  https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/29530/old-new-custom-feature-intersect-a-k-a-subtract-complement

  1
• blackslate Member Posts: 18 ✭

  December 2025

  Thank your @ry_gb for your solution. It works well, even though I do not understand why…
  
  const spineId = id + "spine" + ii;
  
  … causes an error when you use…
  
  "operationType": BooleanOperationType.INTERSECTION
  
  … but not when you use:
  
  "operationType": BooleanOperationType.SUBTRACTION
  
  —-
  To give some context to my question, and to respond to your comment "It's a bit confusing to understand what you're trying to do…"
  
  For a maths class, I am building a physical demonstration of the formula for a square pyramidal number. My completed demonstration will show that the volume of a stepped pyramid with a base n-squared will be:
  
  the volume of a smooth pyramid with the same dimensions
  + the sum of all integers from 1 to n
  - n / 3
  
  The part "sum of all integers from 1 to n" is the total additional volume of the steps, and the part "- n / 3" is where the steps intersect the pyramid — in other words, the little "spine" pyramids that you have helped me to remove from the pyramid itself.
  
  
  
  

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• ry_gb Member, csevp, pcbaevp Posts: 167 PRO

  December 2025

  I'm not entirely sure why it worked with Subtraction, but not Intersection.

  I'm kinda new to FeatureScript so I don't entirely understand everything yet, but it looks like from FeatureScript Fundamentals course, they do mention you want to put the index before the string because you can't revisit ID's
  
  Link to video

  Ramon Yip | glassboard.com

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