Select & edit
Selection Tools
Select objects, triangles, edges and points in MeshInspector — interactive selectors, growing and shrinking a selection, regions and parts, mesh defects, and deleting or splitting off what you selected.
Start here
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Selection BasicsHow selection works in MeshInspector. Select objects or triangles, points and edges, add and remove with Ctrl and Shift, use the selection hotkeys and pick the right tool of the Select tab.
Select PrimitivesHow to use the Select Primitives tool in MeshInspector: select mesh triangles or cloud points with Lasso, Rect, Polygon, Brush and Pick, add or remove with modifier keys.Video- Triangles SelectorUse the Triangles Selector (Face Selector) in MeshInspector to select mesh triangles one by one, inside a border drawn along the surface, or with a screen loop or brush.
Select ObjectsUse Select Objects in MeshInspector to select whole meshes, point clouds and other objects in the viewport or the Scene Tree, one by one, several at once or with a rectangle.
Edge SelectorSelect mesh edges in MeshInspector with Edge Selector - Single Edge, Polyline and Screen Loop methods, their options and modifier keys, and what selected edges are used for.
Refine selection
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Expand SelectionGrow a selection in MeshInspector with Expand Selection (one layer of triangles, Ctrl+=), Smart Expand (fills flat and smooth areas first) and Expand Selected Edges, and pick the right tool.
Shrink SelectionMake a selection smaller in MeshInspector with Shrink Selection (one layer of triangles, Ctrl+-) and Shrink Selected Edges, and know when to use Grow/Shrink Selected instead.
Grow/Shrink SelectedGrow or shrink a selection by a distance in MeshInspector with Grow/Shrink Selected (Dilate, Erode and their combinations) and Grow/Shrink Selected Edges, and see how it differs from Expand and Shrink Selection.
Inverse SelectionSwap selected and unselected triangles of meshes or points of point clouds in MeshInspector with Inverse Selection, for example to keep one part and delete the rest.
Clear SelectionsRemove the selected triangles of meshes and points of point clouds with Clear Selections (Ctrl+X, Cmd+X on macOS), and the selected edges with Clear Selected Edges.
Select Incident TrianglesTurn selected edges into selected triangles with Select Incident Triangles in MeshInspector, then delete, copy or grow them with the triangle selection tools.
Select regions & segments
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Select RegionSegment a mesh with Select Region in MeshInspector - mark region and not-region seed triangles, let the tool find the best border, then copy or delete the region.Video
PartitionerSplit a mesh into a set number of segments with the MeshInspector Partitioner, then break it into separate objects or select single segments.Video
Select by property
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Select ComponentSelect a whole connected part of a mesh with one click in MeshInspector with Select Component, or the largest part at once with Select Largest Component, then delete or separate it.
Expand to ComponentsGrow a triangle selection to whole connected parts of a mesh in MeshInspector with Expand to Components; selected edges act as borders, so you can select a face up to its creases.
Select by AreaSelect the separate pieces of a mesh that are smaller or larger than a set surface area with Select by Area in MeshInspector, for example to find and delete scan debris.
Select Creases by AngleFind the sharp edges of a mesh by angle with Select Creases by Angle in MeshInspector, mark them as creases or selected edges, and swap the two with Swap Creases / Edges.
Select Camera-Facing and Unselect Camera-FacingSelect or unselect all mesh triangles turned toward the camera in MeshInspector with Select Camera-Facing and Unselect Camera-Facing, even if other triangles hide them.
Find mesh defects
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Select Self IntersectionsSelect self-intersecting, inner and overlapping triangles of a mesh with Select Self Intersections in MeshInspector, then repair them with Mesh Healer.
Select DegeneraciesSelect degenerate (long, thin or collapsed) triangles of a mesh by their aspect ratio with Select Degeneracies in MeshInspector, and choose a tool to fix them.
Select DisorientationsFind triangles with flipped normals and inside-out areas of a mesh with Select Disorientations in MeshInspector, and fix their orientation.
Select Outer LayerUse Select Outer Layer in MeshInspector to select all triangles of the outer layer of a double-layer mesh, then delete the inner layer or copy the outer one to a new object.
Select Not Smooth TrianglesUse Select Not Smooth Triangles in MeshInspector to select spikes, dents and folded triangles that stick out of the surface, set Min Angle and clean them up.
Select OverhangsUse Select Overhangs in MeshInspector to find the areas of a model that need supports in 3D printing. Set the print direction, Layer Step and Max Overhang Distance.
Select Boundary TrisSelect the triangles or the edges along holes and open borders of a mesh with Select Boundary Tris and Select Boundary Edges in MeshInspector, then close the holes.
Select Short EdgesSelect all mesh edges not longer than a given Max Edge Length with Select Short Edges in MeshInspector to find tiny triangles before you clean up the mesh.
Select Twin EdgesFind pairs of very close vertices and select the twin edges between them with Select Twin Edges in MeshInspector, then weld the seam with Unite Close Vertices.
Collision DetectionUse Collision Detection in MeshInspector to select the triangles where two meshes intersect, check how parts of an assembly fit and find where they overlap.
Use the selection
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Delete SelectedRemove the selected triangles of meshes or points of point clouds in MeshInspector with Delete Selected (the Delete key, Backspace on macOS), undo it, and close the hole it leaves.
Selection to ObjectCopy the selected triangles of a mesh or points of a point cloud into a new object with Selection to Object in MeshInspector, for example to split one part off a scan.