Recommended test
Stop vertical CC members at a known face height and confirm that the committed geometry keeps the stopped length.
- Prepare a box-like reference with its top face 1800 mm above the ground grid.
- Create one horizontal CC shape run at ground level with vertical 2400 mm extrusion and Trim to geometry disabled.
- Choose Quick plane setter, Pick face and click the reference's top face; inspect the preview ending at 1800 mm.
- Generate once while the stopper is present, then Clear the quick plane and clear the current CC run.
- Measure the generated members and confirm they retain the stopped height of 1800 mm.
Choose how the members should meet the model
| Control | Useful for | Reference used |
|---|---|---|
| Quick plane setter | Stopping a row of extrusions at one common height or slope | The plane through a picked model face. |
| Trim to geometry | Fitting rectangular members to box-like supports, including supported seats and notches | Visible construction geometry already in the model. |
Both operate on CC shape placement before generation. Start with one control at a time so the reason for a cut is clear. Check the generated members after using either control.
Stop extrusion at a picked face
- Create a CC shape run and give its members enough Extrusion to reach the desired stopping surface.
- Under Extrude > Quick plane setter, choose Pick face.
- Click the model face that defines the stop. The tool creates a helper plane at that face and returns from face-pick mode.
- Inspect the preview from the side and along the run. Generate while the stopper is present if the cut is correct.
- Use Clear in Quick plane setter when the helper is no longer needed.
For example, vertical members with 2400 mm extrusion can stop at a horizontal face 1800 mm above their start. Picking that face defines a common 1800 mm stopping plane across the run.
The stopper clips the existing extrusion span. It does not extend a short member until it reaches a distant face. If no cut appears, first check that the intended plane intersects the extrusion’s start-to-end span. A plane parallel to the extrusion direction may provide no usable intersection.
Understand the plane’s reach
The stopper is a mathematical plane extending beyond the visible helper rectangle and beyond the boundaries of the picked face. A small reference face can therefore stop members elsewhere along the run, even where those members do not overlap the original reference object.
Helper-plane visibility does not control stopper participation. Hiding a helper can leave its stopping effect active; remove it or use the quick setter’s Clear control to remove that reference. Picking another face replaces the quick setter’s previous helper. Other helper planes created with Plane Tool can still be present and affect the same extrusions.
With extensions on both sides of the profile, helper planes can clip the covered span on either side. Check all active planes when a cut appears at an unexpected end. Start with a plain rectangular member and no bevel, cap or extension when diagnosing a complex preview.
Clearing a plane before Generate removes its effect from the preview. Clearing it after Generate leaves the already created model geometry cut to the generated shape.
Fit rectangular members to existing supports
Enable Trim to geometry for rectangular CC placement when members need to fit existing box-like model geometry. The fitting logic supports cases such as end notches, underside support clearance and seats or birdsmouths in sloping members. It also accounts for supported bevel geometry.
Prepare the supporting geometry first, then draw the member run, choose its profile and extrusion, and inspect the trimmed preview. The result depends on the support faces, the member direction and the intersection; simply overlapping another object does not guarantee a useful cut.
Trim to geometry uses analytical box-like targets. It is not a general-purpose solid subtraction tool for arbitrary curved or irregular hosts. Use clear rectangular support cases and inspect the seat, end and remaining member section from more than one view.
Visibility and generation order matter
Hidden construction targets are excluded from automatic geometry fitting. If an expected support cut disappears, check the support’s visibility and any hidden parent group. Temporary previews and helper planes are not ordinary box-like trim targets; helper planes participate through the separate stopper mechanism.
Generate support members first, clear their completed CC runs, and then create the members that should fit them. Trim targets are collected from the existing model before the next batch is generated, so members introduced together in one batch do not automatically become fitting targets for one another.
Close-frame caps and mirrored copies add more geometry to inspect. A satisfactory cut on the repeated body does not establish that every cap, corner or reflected copy has the intended joint. Check the generated result before continuing to the next construction batch.