This plugin adds several tools for analysis and manipulation of meshes.
The following functions are available through both the Extensions -> Mesh Tools menu and the Mesh Tools submenu of the viewport context menu. These
fuctions require one or more models being selected first.
Reloads the selected model(s) from disk, if the filename is known and the file still exists.
Changes the name of the model in the "Object List" in the lower left corner of the viewport. This currently does not work on groups.
Replaces the selected model(s) with a different file. This does not work on groups, and a single model can only be replaced with a single mesh.
Checks to see if the model is "watertight", and if it contains separate "submodels".
Count the number of vertices and faces of the selected models.
Try to fix simple holes in models to make them "watertight". This is not meant as an exhaustive way to repair all models. External tools may be necessary to repair extensively broken models.
Recalculate the model normals, so the visualisation of what parts of the model need support is accurate for models with reversed or invalid normals.
When multiple separate bodies are contained within a single mesh, this function can split them apart so they can be manipulated individually.
When printing with a consumable build plate surface, it can be beneficial to print have each print on a different location on the build plate to make sure it wears down evenly.
This function applies the rotation and scale to the mesh coordinates, and resets the model rotation and scale to upright and 100%. This can make it easier to apply scale, and can prevent some manipulation inconsistencies in Cura (such as the wrong axis scaling when a model is rotated).
When loading single models into Cura, the origin (the point around which the model is rotated) is normally reset to the center of the model. Some models may get a different origin, such as the resulting meshes from the "Split model into parts" function. It can be convenient to reset the origin to the center of these parts for further manipulation, but this will make Cura forget about the original relative position of parts so the "merge" function will no longer put the parts together properly.
The following options can be set in the settings dialog which can be found via
Extensions -> Mesh Tools -> Mesh Tools Settings:
Automatically check the check models when loading them. In Cura 4.6 and newer this may lead to double messages that the model needs repair.
Automatically recreate the normals for each loaded model. This can be useful if you use a modeler that uses a different normal "winding" than Cura, which causes Cura to show overhangs are needed on top of models.
Automatically scale models that are loaded into Cura if they are exported in another unit than millimeters. This applies only to mesh files that do not specify the unit, such as STL, OBJ and PLY.