Mesh Modeling in SOLIDWORKS Part 1

[@Simon_Rafferty]

Thank you for this. It's the first time I've had to deal with meshes in 20 years of SW & the video has helped a lot!

[@mbanta]

Thank you for watching my video I am glad it is helpful.

[@ivanloewen]

Hey Marlon, thanks for this extremely helpful presentation, part 1 and 2. I will definitely recommend this to my user group.

[@mbanta]

Ivan thanks so much for watching my videos. I am happy to hear that you will recommend them to members of your user group.

[@rendition8528]

Thank you so much! I'm a self taught CAD modeler and this helps tremendously

[@mbanta]

Excellent, I am glad it helped. Thank you for watching my video.

[@customlegoworks]

Thank you for explaining all of this. I have been missing out on many features and running an ineffective workflow.

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your comments and thank you for watching my video.

[@BrianZias]

Can’t believe I am just seeing this in my feed

[@ifedayoh]

This is so informative. Bless you for this

[@mbanta]

Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you found it informative.

[@KEVALKUMAR-l2y]

Hi Marlon, do you have any tips or ideas how to patch a surfaces like stone

[@eduardoodebrech1733]

Thanks so much for tNice tutorials video, it helped so much!

[@mbanta]

So glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching my video.

[@GregVillegas-c2d]

Hi Marlon, Is there a way to use the combine command with an imported *.STL from a 3d scan that was converted to a mesh body (mesh brep body) and a classic brep body, solidworks extrution, with the main body the classic brep solidworks extrution and the body to subtract the 3d scan converted to mesh body (mesh brep body)? I saw you do it in reverse on the vid but I need the classic brep be the main body. I need the negative of the scan. I used the intersect command after I converted the classic brep to a mesh body. But can't manipulate the converted classic brep converted to a mesh body as good a the classic brep. Thank you Marlon. I'm new to surfacing but have been using solidworks since 1998 using version 1998 -Greg

[@mbanta]

Greg, Thank you for question and thank you for watching my video. It is possible to subtract a mesh brep body from a classic brep body using the combine command (with the classic brep body the main body). When you say "3d scan converted to a mesh body" you mean *.stl file imported then converted to a mesh brep body and not a graphics body, correct? Please see the first video for the definition of these body types. It is not possible to subtract a graphics body from a classic brep body. Note you must be using SOLIDWORKS 2022 or later for hybrid mesh bodies.

[@GregVillegas-c2d]

I opened the 3d scan (*.stl) with (all files) using open and it came in as (Graphic1) in the feature tree. Not (Mesh1) in the feature tree. Then used the convert to mesh command. I think that means its then becomes a Mesh brep body. When I tried to use combine it was greyed out. Also, when you open as (all files) It comes in as (Graphic1) in the tree and most of the Scan to 3d commands wizards are greyed out. If you open with (Scan to 3d) file types, the (*.stl) comes in as a (Mesh1) in the tree and the Scan to 3d command wizards are not greyed out. Do I have to use the convert to mesh with a (Mesh1) from the tree and not the (Graphic1) from the tree? -Thank You, greg (using Solidworks Pro 2024) It won't let me pick (Mesh1) in the tree when using the convert to mesh command. would holes in the mesh brep body not allow a combine command? The vertex ribs are all grey and not black on my 3d scan so it is a Mesh brep body but combine still wont work. My graphic body is open. Your graphic body is closed in part 2. I couldn't reach some deep slots with the scanner. large gapping open areas in the 3d scan/mesh. I'm hoping that's why it wont combine. I'm going to try and rescan to make it closed. If that's what it means by being (open) Thanks again Marlon!

[@mbanta]

@@GregVillegas-c2d Please disable the Scan to 3D add-in. The mesh functionality in core SOLIDWORKS is independent of Scan to 3D. A mesh brep body is not that same as the "mesh" body generated in Scan to 3D. Once imported the graphics body should be converted to a mesh brep body. Please review the mesh modeling videos to learn about the three body types (graphics body, mesh brep and classic brep) and how to convert to mesh brep.

[@gv8316]

I watched your vid 1... 3 or 4 times and paused it on the 3 different Brep bodies and read it. I'm familiar with it now. Solidworks is not allowing the combine with an open mesh? Or its because I opened the STL with scan to 3d plug in on? Thank you very much Marlon! I've been trying all week to do that one command. I thought Solidworks would be able to do it. 2024 Solidworks Pro...All you have to do is open the file. Not import. I dont remember how it went with the other revisions. Im greg v not at work.

[@trexinvert]

Is there a way to turn off all these "mesh points" so that I can place lines without "sticking" to those points?

[@mbanta]

you should be able to control the snapping to mesh vertices with the following system option: Tools -> Options -> System Options -> Sketch -> Relations/Snaps -> Snap to endpoints... This applies for all body types. The reason it is more noticeable on mesh based geometry is because there are a large number of facets in a faceted model, each with three vertices. Thank you for watching my video.

[@fernandoarosa]

My mesh file presents "topological errors". How I can fix?

[@mbanta]

Mesh files have the same watertight/manifold rules as SOLIDWORKS solid body geometry. This is especially true when you attempt to convert a graphics body to a mesh brep body. As a graphics body the tools in SOLIDWORKS allow you to remove offending facets in different ways. This can resolve overlapping and intersecting facet issues. If the removed facets present a problem you can fill the hole by converting to mesh brep and using something like delete hole or other features to fill in the hole. In SOLIDWORKS 2022 or beyond this may create a hybrid mesh body. Note that there are also many free mesh editing tools available for download that have automated tools for cleaning up the mesh. The issue with these is that the run an algorithm for which you may have little control so the result may not always be what you want. Thanks for watching my video.

[@fernandoarosa]

@@mbanta excelent!!! Thanks Marlon. Your videos is very good. ✌🏻

[@jeremyregnerus4681]

Hi Marlon, do you have any tips or ideas when a Graphics Body doesn't property convert to a Mesh Body? I have some stls, that are leaving a lot of holes in the surfaces when I try to convert them, but they look file when they are imported as graphics bodies.

[@mbanta]

Hmmm... without seeing the files you are importing I can only speculate that though the graphics bodies appear correct when imported into SOLIDWORKS as a graphics body there is a condition within the mesh that is causing the holes when the more stringent requirements for a mesh brep body are applied during conversion. In the past I have seen this sort of thing when converting to a mesh brep body when the original mesh has co-located or overlapping facets and also when the original mesh has disjointed facets (facets that appear to share an edge but don't). A google search for "mesh errors" will show many results that give explanations and examples of overlapping facets and disjointed facets. Disjointed faces in SOLIDWORKS are easy to spot because we color the edges of the face blue. You see this blue color when the mesh body is converted to mesh brep as well. Sometimes delete hole can be used to fill fully bounded holes in a mesh brep surface body. Hope this helps. Good to hear from you Jeremy!

[@РаминРодионов]

good

[@mbanta]

I am glad you found it useful. Thank you for watching my video.

[@williamhuang5329]

Hanzhen harmonic drive gear , robot joint , stain wave reducer, over 30 years experience

[@trexinvert]

Geeze. This is basically re-modeling a triangular "fractured" surface. I will gladly pay the scanning service to do this so I get a "real" solidworks SOLID. However, you need to know some basic surfacing commands, which most SW users do not know. Good thing I have reviewed and applied. To clarify the term "re-engineering" = redrawing the "fractured/mesh surface" → "finite surface" →solid geometry. Also, that [Surface from Mesh] →"FACETS" command uses "calculate" as both a selection filter and a "group selection" command. So, then you basically just blindly "drop the tolerance" and "click calculate" to grab a massive amount of fractured surfaces to turn them into a single surface. An "alternative" is to grab select points and "geometry fit" a rectangular surface, circle, cylinder wall,...etc. Assuming, that a uniform shape was scanned. Thanks for the video series.

[@mbanta]

Thank you very much for watching my video. I also greatly appreciate the feedback you have provided and would welcome the opportunity to speak with you to better understand your ideas. One thing I would say is that not all users have the ability to work with a scanning service. I would also say that with the hybrid mesh and mesh brep tools we provide, getting a "real" solid is often not even be required. This can save users quite a bit of time and resources while still allowing them to reference and incorporate mesh geometry in their models. The second mesh video in the series discusses this in more detail.