Part RefineShape

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Revision as of 00:55, 11 July 2017 by Normandc (talk | contribs) (Refine shape is *not* found in OpenSCAD wb - it's a totally different tool that is parametric)

Part RefineShape

Menu location
Part → Refine Shape
Workbenches
Part
Default shortcut
None
Introduced in version
-
See also
OpenSCAD Refine Shape Feature


Description

Cleans unnecessary lines. After a Boolean operation some lines defining the previous form remain visible, this tool creates a totally cleaned copy of the original.

Use

  1. Select the shape to be cleaned.
  2. Click the Part → Refine shape menu.
  • A copy of the object is created and totally cleaned, the original object is rendered hidden.
  • The newly created copy is independent of the original.

Limitations

  • The refinement algorithm only works on shells. Therefore it iterates over the shells of the input shape and then for each shell it creates a new shell with joined faces wherever possible. This means if your input shape is only a face, wire, edge or vertex then the algorithm does nothing.
  • Opposed to RefineShapeFeature in OpenSCAD workbench, this feature won't update when the preceding shapes are changed.

Scripting

The Python command for refining a shape is the following:

shape.removeSplitter()

Notes

  • the function does not modify the existing shape, but returns a new shape
  • the function is normally used as last step in the modelling history
  • the function can help to get difficult fillets to work
  • the function is intended to stop 3D printers from printing unwanted edges
  • the function can be used after converting a mesh to shape to clean up the residual edges on planar faces.