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Hole Maker

by Tiemen's addons·Modeling

Images © Tiemen's addons. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Hole Maker has been maintained across several versions, with recent updates moving booleans to object mode and adding Manifold boolean support.

What is Hole Maker?

Hole Maker adds a tool to Blender for making holes in a mesh at an exact diameter, depth and position. The center of each hole is set by a chosen vertex, and the add-on works in Edit Mode, appearing in the edit menu once installed. Selecting a vertex and pressing 'Make Hole(s)' opens the main menu of options.

The holes are created as boolean operations, with a choice between Fast and Exact solvers. You can direct the hole along the vertex normal or along the 3D cursor direction, set rotation around the hole's axis, and define the number of circle vertices, where a value of 4 produces a square hole. A Main Hole option can be extended with a countersink, which adds a second hole with its own top and bottom diameters. A Maximum Vertices limit guards against selecting too many vertices by accident.

Hole Maker has been updated across several versions. Holemaker_2 runs the booleans in object mode to address self-intersection issues and creates 'Main Cutter' and 'Counter Sink' collections, while Holemaker_3 adds support for the Manifold boolean.

Who is Hole Maker best for?

Hole Maker is best for blender users cutting precise holes into meshes for CAD-style, drill and 3D-print work.

How much does Hole Maker cost?

Hole Maker is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Cuts holes in a mesh at an exact diameter, depth and position set by a chosen vertex
  • Direction control along the vertex normal or the 3D cursor
  • Optional countersink as a second hole with separate top and bottom diameters
  • Fast or Exact boolean solver options, with Manifold boolean support added in Holemaker_3
  • Adjustable hole rotation around the hole's axis
  • Circle vertex count, where a setting of 4 makes a square hole
  • Maximum Vertices limit to prevent selecting too many vertices by accident

Tags

#Blender#hole#mesh#boolean#CAD#3D print#drill#precision

Frequently asked questions

How do I install Hole Maker in Blender?

Hole Maker installs like a standard Blender add-on. Download the add-on file, open the preferences menu and select installation, then browse to the folder where the file was downloaded and pick it. Once installed, Hole Maker resides in the edit menu and is available only in Edit Mode. To use it, select a vertex and press 'Make Hole(s)', which opens the main menu where you set the hole's properties.

What Blender versions does Hole Maker support?

Hole Maker is listed for Blender versions 4.2 through 5.0. The most recent release, Holemaker_3, adds support for the Manifold boolean, while earlier versions such as Holemaker_2 run the boolean operations in object mode to resolve self-intersection issues. Because the tool relies on boolean operations, its behaviour can depend on which solver you choose, and the add-on offers both Fast and Exact options to suit different cases.

Is Hole Maker free to use?

Hole Maker is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. For current licensing details and the latest downloads, including the different version files, check the developer's page from Tiemen's addons. The add-on is a Dev Fund contributor and has been published for several years, with updates released across multiple versions over that time, most recently the Holemaker_3 release.

How does the countersink option in Hole Maker work?

Hole Maker offers a Main Hole option and a Main Hole and Countersink option. With only the Main Hole, a single straight hole is created with one diameter. When the countersink box is checked, two holes are made — the straight hole plus a start hole or countersink — and an extra column appears to set the second hole's properties. The countersink has both a top and bottom diameter, where the top diameter is measured at the plane of the center vertex.

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