Surface Distance colors a mesh by the distance measured along its surface (the geodesic distance) from a point you pick, from the boundary of selected triangles or from selected edges. Unlike a straight measurement, this distance follows the shape: around edges, over ribs and around holes. Use it to measure lengths on a curved surface or to select everything within a set distance of a point.
You find the tool in Inspect › Surface Distance. Select exactly one mesh first; with any other selection the tool stays disabled.
Measure from a Point
- Select the mesh and go to Inspect › Surface Distance. The panel shows Pick point on mesh....
- Click a point on the mesh. MeshInspector colors the mesh from green near the point to red far from it, draws iso-lines (lines of equal distance) and shows the distance values on the color scale.
- Click another point to measure from there.
Settings
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Where the distance starts: Pick Point (a point you click), Selected Triangles Boundary (the edge of the selected area) or Selected Edges. Without a selection the panel shows "No boundary of selected triangles found" or "No selected edges found". | Pick Point |
| Iso-lines | No: only colors. One: one line at the distance you set. Many: lines at an even step. | Many |
| Number of Iso-lines | How many lines to draw (1–99). Shown with Many. | 31 |
| Iso-value | The distance of the single line. Shown with One. | — |
| Cut & Select | Cuts the mesh along the line and selects the area inside it. Shown with One. | — |
| Max Vertex Updates (Advanced) | How many times the distance of a vertex can be updated (1–255). Higher values handle obtuse (wide-angle) triangles better; raise it if the map looks uneven on a mesh with such triangles. | 3 |
To measure from a region or a line instead of a point, first select triangles or edges with the selection tools, then choose the matching Source.
Select the Area Within a Distance
- Pick a point as described above.
- Set Iso-lines to One and type the distance in Iso-value, for example
30. - Click Cut & Select. MeshInspector cuts the mesh along the line and selects the area inside it.
The Source then switches to Selected Triangles Boundary, so the map shows the distance from the edge of the new selection. Use the selected area with any tool that works on a selection, for example to delete it or to separate it.
Surface Distance or Measure Distance
- Measure Distance gives the straight distance between two points, through the air.
- Surface Distance gives the distance along the surface, the way a tape laid on the part would measure it.
- Signed Distance gives the gap or overlap between two meshes.
