As the name of MeshInspector implies, the app is built around meshes. A mesh is a 3D surface made of triangles that are connected to each other. The triangles define the shape of the model and its level of detail. Most 3D files you open (STL, OBJ, 3MF and others) become meshes, and most tools for repair, editing, measuring and 3D printing work on meshes.
A mesh has three kinds of elements:
- Vertices, the points in 3D space.
- Edges, the lines that connect vertices.
- Triangles (faces), the surfaces formed by three connected vertices.
Mesh in MeshInspector
When you open a mesh, it appears in the Scene tree and in the viewport. In the Scene tree, a triangle icon next to the object name shows that the object is a mesh.
Two panels below the Scene tree describe the selected mesh:
- Information shows Object Type (Mesh), the size of the bounding box (Local or World), and the numbers of Triangles, Vertices and Edges, the Volume, Area, Avg Edge Length, Holes and Components. A line with a zero value is hidden, so a closed mesh shows no Holes line.
- Transform lets you scale, rotate and move the mesh in 3D space.
Three keys change how the selected meshes are drawn:
- L shows or hides the edges of the triangles.
- T shows or hides the triangles (faces).
- F switches flat shading on and off.
On the Inspect tab you can open Object Info and Mesh Info; both panels can be open at the same time.
- Object Info shows general information about the selected object: its source format, memory use, components, vertices, triangles, edges, area, volume and bounding box.
- Mesh Info shows data for one element of the mesh. Depending on the mode, it describes a triangle, an edge or a vertex.
Check your mesh
The Information panel answers the first question about a new file: is the mesh closed and in one piece?
- Holes above zero means the surface is open. Close the holes with Mesh Repair › Fill Holes, or find and fix all problems at once with Mesh Repair › Mesh Healer (Makers plan). See Mesh Healer and Fill Holes.
- Components above one means the mesh consists of separate parts, for example scanner debris. Mesh Repair › To Components splits them into separate objects, and Keep Largest Component (in the same drop-down list) removes everything except the largest part.
Open a mesh
Open a file with Home › Open Files or drag it into the window. These formats open as a mesh:
| Format | Open | Export |
|---|---|---|
| STL | Yes | Yes (binary STL) |
| OBJ | Yes | Yes |
| PLY | Yes | Yes |
| OFF | Yes | Yes |
| 3MF, MODEL | Yes | Yes |
| CTM | Yes | Yes |
| MRMESH | Yes | Yes |
| GLTF, GLB | Yes | Only with Save Scene As |
| DXF | Yes | No |
| STEP, STP | Yes | No |
| DCM (3Shape) | Yes | No |
A PLY file that has points but no triangles opens as a point cloud instead. STEP files are converted to meshes when they open. The full list of formats for every object type is in Supported File Formats.
You can also make a mesh in the app, for example with Mesh Edit › Create Simple Objects (cube, cylinder, sphere and other shapes) or from other object types (see the articles on point clouds, voxels, polylines and distance maps).
What you can do with a mesh
| Tab | Main tools for meshes |
|---|---|
| Mesh Repair | Mesh Healer, Fill Holes, Auto Repair Mesh, Simplify, Remesh |
| Mesh Edit | Mesh Boolean, Offset, Hollow/Thicken, Brush, Extrude Base, Text on Mesh |
| Inspect | Measure Distance, Section, Measure Thickness, Surface Deviation |
| Select | Select Primitives, Select Region, Delete Selected |
Convert a mesh to another type
| Result | Tool | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Point cloud | Mesh Edit › Mesh to Points | Professional |
| Voxel volume | Mesh Edit › Mesh to Voxels | Professional |
| Distance map | Distance Maps › Mesh to Distance Map | Professional |
| Polyline | Inspect › Section | Free |
| G-code toolpath | Toolpath › Toolpath | Professional |
Section cuts the mesh with a plane and can create a polyline from the cross-section. Toolpath builds a CNC toolpath, see Toolpaths (G-code).
Save a mesh
- Export (on the Home tab and at the top left of the window) saves the selected meshes to a file: .stl, .obj, .ply, .off, .3mf, .model, .ctm or .mrmesh. See Exporting Objects.
- Home › Save Scene saves the whole scene, with all objects and their settings, to a MeshInspector scene file (.mru). Save Scene As can also write the scene as .gltf or .glb.
Mesh options in the Scene tree
Right-click the mesh in the Scene tree to change how it is displayed: edges, triangles, points, normals, bounding box, colors, opacity and shading. The menu also has the Remove and Clone buttons, and Clone Selection when part of the mesh is selected. Every option is explained in Scene Tree Mastery.
