Measure & analyze
Inspect & Measure
Inspect and measure 3D models in MeshInspector — distances, angles, sections and bounding boxes, wall thickness and curvature, scan-to-CAD deviation, fitted features and PDF quality reports.
Start here
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Inspect & Measure BasicsAn overview of the Inspect tab in MeshInspector. Find the right tool to measure distances, angles, wall thickness, deviation from CAD, gaps between parts, sections and features, and learn where the results go.
Mesh Info, Points Info, and Object InfoCheck a model in MeshInspector with Object Info (holes, components, area, volume, box), Mesh Info (single triangles, edges and vertices) and Points Info (point cloud neighborhoods).
Bounding Box and Dense Bounding BoxShow the overall size of a model in MeshInspector: Bounding Box draws a box along the X, Y and Z axes, Show Dense BBox a tight box that follows the object, both with dimension labels.
Measure distances & angles
4- Measure DistanceMeasure the distance between two points or features of a 3D model in MeshInspector, in 3D or along X, Y or Z, with vertex snapping, a nominal value and a tolerance.
Measure AngleMeasure an angle on a 3D model in MeshInspector by three clicked points, between two mesh edges or between features such as planes and cylinders, and keep the result in the scene.
Surface DistanceMeasure distances along the surface of a mesh in MeshInspector with Surface Distance, draw iso-lines and select the area within a set distance of a point.
SectionUse Section in MeshInspector to see a live cross-section of a model with a plane, measure the profile, create section lines for the Lines tab and cut objects in two.Video
Compare & report
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Surface DeviationCompare a scan or a changed part with its reference in MeshInspector: color deviation map, tolerance range, statistics, single-point checks and a PDF report.
Signed DistanceMeasure the smallest gap between two meshes in MeshInspector with Signed Distance, find the deepest overlap of intersecting parts and select the parts inside each other.Video
Quality Control ReportAlign a scan with its CAD model, check the surface deviation, add measured points and save a quality control report as a PDF in MeshInspector.Video
Fit features
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Create and Measure FeaturesHow to create features in MeshInspector: fit a point, line, plane, circle, sphere, cylinder or cone to picked points, a selected area or a hole boundary, read the result and measure between features.Video
Point and Line FeaturesCreate Point and Line features in MeshInspector: fit a point to the center of a hole or region and a line along an axis or an edge from picked points, a selected area or a hole boundary.
Sphere and Cone FeaturesCreate Sphere and Cone features in MeshInspector to measure the diameter of a ball or a spherical surface and the angle of a chamfer, a countersink or a taper on a mesh or a point cloud.
Refine FeatureLearn how to use the Refine Feature tool in MeshInspector to fit an existing feature object again to its mesh or point cloud using distance, normal and iteration settings.
Visual analysis
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Measure ThicknessHow to use Measure Thickness in MeshInspector to color a mesh by wall thickness, find walls thinner than a limit, read the value at any point and choose between the Rays and Spheres methods.Video
Visualize CurvatureHow to use Visualize Curvature in MeshInspector. Read the mean and Gaussian curvature colors, probe the value at a point and set up the logarithmic color scale.
Show NormalsHow to use Show Normals in MeshInspector to draw the normals of a mesh or a point cloud, find areas with flipped normals and inspect the normal of one vertex, edge or face.