Mesh repair Video walkthrough 1:46
Repair an STL in CADFormats
Follow the video to locate sample mesh defects, preview a supported repair, and verify the STL and report in CADFormats.
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The walkthrough uses supplied examples. You can follow along before choosing your own file.
This video tutorial follows the supplied defect examples in the CADFormats inspection and repair workspaces. Learn where to select a finding, preview a supported correction, undo it, and download the checked STL and report.
Start by locating the defect. CADFormats can inspect open boundaries, non-manifold edges, inconsistent winding, and degenerate triangles. Its repair operations have a narrower scope: they do not reconstruct missing geometry or guarantee a printable model.
The walkthrough uses several supplied examples to show different defects. Each example is a separate model, rather than another step applied to the same file.
Locate the problem
Open the mesh inspection tool or the repair workspace and load your STL. In the video’s missing-face example, selecting the boundary finding highlights the opening on the model.
The duplicate-face example demonstrates a non-manifold connection. Select that finding to see its location. Distinguishing an open edge from a non-manifold connection or incorrect winding helps you choose what to do next.
Preview a winding correction
In the repair workspace, open the supplied example with one flipped face. Select the winding correction and preview it. Compare the proposed result with the current model.
Apply the correction if it is appropriate, or discard it. Undo provides a way back after applying. Winding is corrected where the interpretation is unambiguous; this operation does not invent a missing surface.
Review cleanup options
The cleanup options also remove unused vertices and exactly degenerate triangles. The video uses a collinear-face example to show a triangle with no usable area.
Inspect the finding and compare the counts in the preview before accepting the change. These corrections do not resolve every possible mesh defect. An unresolved finding should remain part of your review.
Export and inspect the report
The video returns to the winding example with the correction applied. Check the finding counts, select STL, and choose Verify and export. Download the checked file and the inspection report.
The report describes the mesh properties checked. It does not certify wall thickness, self-intersections, or suitability for a particular manufacturing process. Keep the source model, and review the exported result in the application that will use it.