What is a ʼRegionʼ object in BricsCAD?

Short Answer

A Region object in BricsCAD is a 2D enclosed area converted into a single planar entity using the REGION command. Professionals commonly create Regions from closed polylines, circles, or joined curves to calculate area, perform boolean operations, or generate 3D solids. It only works with coplanar, fully closed geometry.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: REGION often fails when the boundary looks closed visually but contains tiny gaps, overlapping segments, or non-coplanar objects. Another common issue is mixing splines, arcs, and lines that do not form one exact enclosed loop, which prevents Region creation.

How to Create a Region in BricsCAD

• Command: REGION

• Shortcut: REG

• Quick Steps:

  1. On the Ribbon, go to Modeling > Solid Editing panel and start REGION, or type REGION.
  2. Select one or more closed, coplanar objects such as polylines, circles, ellipses, or enclosed line/arc loops, then press Enter.
  3. Confirm the new Region object is created, then use Properties or MASSPROP to verify area if needed.

• Use the fastest professional method: first convert the boundary into a closed polyline with PEDIT > Join when possible, then run REGION.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: PEDIT > Join tolerance

• Expert Setting: If objects almost touch but do not exactly meet, increasing Join tolerance in PEDIT can close small gaps before running REGION. This is often the fastest fix for imported or messy geometry.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): The selected objects are not fully closed, are self-intersecting, or are not coplanar, so BricsCAD cannot form a valid planar area.

• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): Part of the boundary is on a locked layer, xref, or inaccessible object set, preventing proper editing or conversion into a Region.

• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Open lines and arcs were selected as if they formed a boundary, but REGION requires a mathematically closed loop, not just a visually enclosed shape.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: Run PEDIT, use Join, set an appropriate join tolerance, close the polyline if needed, then rerun REGION.

• Manager’s Verdict: Use Regions when you need clean 2D area objects for Boolean operations, area checks, or extrusion into solids. Avoid them for sketch geometry that still changes often, because closed polylines are usually easier to edit.

FAQ

Can a Region be extruded in BricsCAD?

Yes, a Region can be extruded directly into a 3d solid.

What objects can be converted into a Region?

Closed polylines, circles, ellipses, and closed combinations of lines and arcs can usually be converted.

Is a Region the same as a closed polyline?

No, a Region is a planar area object, while a polyline is primarily boundary geometry.

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