An STL file can be imported as lightweight (facets only) with the ability to snap to the facets. Change the edge display option to Mesh to display the facet edges on an STL model.
You can change the color and visibility of a mesh object in the Structure tree. You can also place a mesh object on a layer.
Sketching on a mesh object
You can sketch on a mesh object, as shown in the figure below, and your sketch tools will snap to the facets.
You can:
- Sketch lines, spines, and points in 3D mode. Click the sketch tool, switch to 3D mode, then sketch on the STL model. The cursor snaps to the facet vertices, edges, and faces on the model.
- Use the line, rectangle, circle, spline, ellipse, 3 point arc, polygon, sweep arc, and point sketch tools to create curves that snap to geometry intersecting with the plane. Other sketch tools do not snap to the geometry intersecting the plane but you can use them to create geometry off of newly drawn curves.
- Sketch on a cross section plane of a mesh object, which allows snapping to facets that intersect the plane.
Selecting on a mesh object
When you select placement points on a mesh object, a circle around the point of the cursor helps you to identify facet faces, edges, and points. The following images show the types of selections you can make:
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A double circle (normal to the screen) is displayed when the cursor point is snapped to a facet’s vertex. |
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A single circle is displayed and the facet’s edge is highlighted when the cursor point is snapped to a facet’s edge. The circle lies in the plane at the average of the two neighboring facet faces. |
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A single large circle is displayed and the facet is highlighted when the cursor point is on a facet. The circle lies in the plane of the facet face. |
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