How to Use the SOLIDWORKS Intersect Tool

The SOLIDWORKS Intersect tool creates geometry from the overlapping or enclosed regions between bodies, surfaces, and planes. It is useful for trimming, combining, filling, and creating bodies from complex intersections.

What the Intersect tool does

Intersect analyzes selected solids, surfaces, and reference geometry, then shows the regions that can be kept, removed, or created. This can be easier than building several separate trim, cut, and combine features.

It is especially helpful when working with surface models, imported geometry, cavities, or parts where several bodies overlap.

Use Intersect when the final shape is easier to describe by regions than by a long sequence of cuts. For simple prismatic geometry, ordinary extruded cuts or combine features may be clearer.

Prepare the bodies

Before using Intersect, make sure the bodies or surfaces actually overlap or enclose a region. If there is no shared volume or closed boundary, SOLIDWORKS may not find useful regions.

For imported models, repair obvious gaps or bad faces first. Cleaner geometry gives the Intersect tool a better chance of producing usable results.

It can help to hide bodies that are not part of the operation. Reducing the visible and selected geometry makes the preview easier to understand.

Create intersect regions

1. Open the part with the bodies or surfaces.
2. Start the Intersect command.
3. Select the bodies, surfaces, or planes to use.
4. Calculate the regions.
5. Choose which regions to keep or remove.
6. Accept the feature and rebuild the model.

Choose regions carefully

The preview can show several small regions. Select only the regions that support the design intent. Keeping extra regions can create unwanted bodies, while removing the wrong region can delete needed geometry.

Use section views and temporary transparency if the intersection is hard to understand. Complex overlap areas are easier to review when you can see inside the model.

After choosing regions, check the body list. Intersect can create more bodies than expected if small enclosed areas are kept by mistake.

Use Intersect with surfaces

Surfaces can define boundaries for new solid regions. This is useful when creating organic shapes, closing openings, or cutting a body with surface geometry.

Make sure surfaces extend far enough and meet cleanly. Tiny gaps or short surfaces can prevent a region from being created.

If surfaces are being used as cutting tools, extend them beyond the target body where practical. Short surfaces can leave incomplete or ambiguous intersections.

Troubleshooting

If Intersect does not find the expected region, check for gaps, non-overlapping bodies, open surfaces, or selected geometry that does not enclose a volume. Simplify the selections and try again.

After creating the intersect feature, verify the resulting bodies with mass properties, section views, and downstream features. The tool is powerful, but the preview should always be checked before release.

For important models, rename the intersect feature so future users understand why it was used and which geometry controls it.

If the feature depends on imported or surface geometry, keep a note in the model or drawing package explaining the source. That makes later troubleshooting much easier.

When the Intersect tool is used to create manufacturing geometry, check the final solid for tiny faces, sliver regions, and unexpected internal edges. These can affect downstream fillets, shell features, toolpaths, or drawings.

If the operation is part of a larger workflow, save a clean version before experimenting. Intersect can change body structure significantly, so having a known-good state makes it easier to compare results or roll back manually.