Hi Colin, I think I like your way better.

I was worried about making a straight cut like that possibly resulting in a blocky type shape. However, it works great when the straight cut is applied to a rounded base shape. The blocky type problem that I was worried about happens when you apply the straight cut to another straight-punched out (extruded) base object instead of a rounded base object.

And actually the hard edge that is introduced with your method is actually an advantage.

With your steps, you get this shape at one stage:



Which actually is nice because then filleting the outside edge lets you have a hard inside edge, and then a more tightly curved outside edge. That kind of seems like a more expected form around that area.

Actually with the sweep method you can get this style by first applying a wider chamfer along that single edge (the sweep method starts with just one edge around that finger hole), which will construct that straight bit for you, then round the outside edge of the straight part.

Anyway, I am still happy to have the sweep method documented above, it is always good to have more than one approach available for constructing things, sometimes when you want a particular kind of different style it can be easier to apply it in one method or the other.

A couple of small notes on your steps -

When you create the cutting pieces from the right-side view, it is ok if they are not closed, they can be open as long as their profiles cross the whole object and appear to fully divide it into 2 pieces.

You can also skip the extrusion of the circle - just select the circle curve as the cutting object in the Boolean difference. The boolean will do the equivalent of Extrude with "both sides" for you automatically.

billis - let me know if you need any additional illustrations for Colin's steps.

- Michael