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Boolean Dialog

In one sentence: A general-purpose Boolean dialog that lets you choose the operation type (Cut, Fuse, Common, or Section) and both operand shapes from a single panel.

Overview

Workbench: Part · Menu: Part → Boolean…
Toolbar: Part Boolean · Shortcut: none

The Boolean dialog is the "manual" Boolean tool. Unlike the dedicated Cut, Fuse, and Common buttons — which operate on the pre-selected shapes — this dialog lets you pick both shapes and the operation type interactively.

Intuition

Use the Boolean dialog when:

  • You have not pre-selected the shapes and want to pick them inside the dialog.
  • You want to quickly switch between Cut / Fuse / Common / Section without creating multiple result objects.
  • You are scripting and want a single object type that records the operation.

For repeated or common operations, the dedicated tools (Cut, Fuse, Common) are faster because they pick up the selection automatically.

When to use it

  • Ad-hoc Boolean between two shapes where you want to see the operation type chosen from a dropdown before committing.
  • Prototyping — quickly try Cut vs Fuse to see which gives the right result.

When NOT to use it

  • Repeated identical operations — use the dedicated Cut, Fuse, or Common buttons.
  • More than two shapes — use Boolean Fragments for multi-shape operations.

Operations

Operation Result
Cut Subtract Tool shape from Base shape
Fuse Union of Base and Tool
Common Intersection (volume shared by both)
Section Wire where the two surfaces intersect

Step-by-step walkthrough

  1. Part → Boolean…
  2. In the dialog, select the Base Shape from the dropdown (first operand).
  3. Select the Tool Shape (second operand).
  4. Choose the Operation type.
  5. Click OK — the result shape appears.

Parameters

Field Description
Base Shape First operand (the shape being modified)
Tool Shape Second operand (the modifier)
Operation Cut / Fuse / Common / Section

Python API

import FreeCAD as App

doc = App.newDocument()

box = doc.addObject("Part::Box", "Box")
box.Length = 30; box.Width = 20; box.Height = 20

cyl = doc.addObject("Part::Cylinder", "Cyl")
cyl.Radius = 8; cyl.Height = 25
cyl.Placement = App.Placement(App.Vector(15, 10, -2), App.Rotation())
doc.recompute()

# Boolean Cut via object type
cut = doc.addObject("Part::Cut", "Hole")
cut.Base = box
cut.Tool = cyl
doc.recompute()

# Boolean Fuse
fuse = doc.addObject("Part::Fuse", "Union")
fuse.Base = box
fuse.Tool = cyl
# doc.recompute()  # uncomment if using fuse

# Boolean Common
common = doc.addObject("Part::Common", "Intersection")
common.Base = box
common.Tool = cyl
# doc.recompute()  # uncomment if using common

See also