CAD Software Any 'easy' way to edit a mesh file?

[Zyzzyva1000]

I have been enjoying the export as obj feature in open rocket since I get exactly what I want and it's quick and easy. However, I am curious if there is any 'easy' way to do some editing on a mesh file. Really I just want to bevel some fin edges (adding fillets would be nice but I suspect that would be much harder). Of course when you open the file in say Fusion360 there's no single discrete edge to apply a chamfer too. Maybe there's a way to convert the mesh file to something that is more easily edited? It almost seems like it would just be faster to use the open rocket file as a template and create the model again from scratch in fusion. But since there are definitely people better with CAD than me here, I figured I would ask.

 

[Buckeye]

Short answer: No.

Some software may make it less painful than others. Some will convert every mesh triangle into a NURBs surface. Then you are left with a million little surfaces to try to edit/merge/reconstruct/etc. The best software for working with meshes will be those oriented to FEA and CFD analysis. These are typically industry software and pricey.

You are better off building the model in CAD.

Edit: I just realized this is in the 3D printing forum, in which I have no experience. So, there may be some mesh-editing products geared to printing.

 

[SolarYellow]

Maybe this. I don't use it, just know guys who use it to edit meshes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZBrush

 

[frogglicker]

Good morning.

Meshes have been my bane and I just haven't done enough with them. There are tutorials on YT for importing OBJ/STLs into, like in my case, Fusion 360, then repairing the mesh. This works pretty well for a fin or other flat geometries but anything round is difficult in the best circumstances.

Because Tinkercad and Fusion360 have some connectivity, you can import an STL/OBJ into TinkerCAD then "sometimes" port it to Fusion. The process is very finicky and the object has to have very simple geometry (1 star, do not recommend).

What I have found is building the fin from scratch works best for me. I take the measurements off the OpenRocket Fin/Shape tab, and the Fin/Fin Tab tab (that's weird to say) and build the sketch. This lets me make small adjustments and gives me more flexibility. After you have sketched out a few, you will find its faster than importing the mesh then repairing. More complex geometries require more skill in CAD.

I was excited about the obj export in OR when it came out but after refining my workflow, it's just faster for me to build from scratch using the OR metrics as a guide for most things.

Hope this helps.

 

[Zyzzyva1000]

Good morning.

Meshes have been my bane and I just haven't done enough with them. There are tutorials on YT for importing OBJ/STLs into, like in my case, Fusion 360, then repairing the mesh. This works pretty well for a fin or other flat geometries but anything round is difficult in the best circumstances.

Because Tinkercad and Fusion360 have some connectivity, you can import an STL/OBJ into TinkerCAD then "sometimes" port it to Fusion. The process is very finicky and the object has to have very simple geometry (1 star, do not recommend).

What I have found is building the fin from scratch works best for me. I take the measurements off the OpenRocket Fin/Shape tab, and the Fin/Fin Tab tab (that's weird to say) and build the sketch. This lets me make small adjustments and gives me more flexibility. After you have sketched out a few, you will find its faster than importing the mesh then repairing. More complex geometries require more skill in CAD.

I was excited about the obj export in OR when it came out but after refining my workflow, it's just faster for me to build from scratch using the OR metrics as a guide for most things.

Hope this helps.

So incidentally I just figured out this tinkercad/fusion 360 'trick' myself. For one model I was working off, it actually worked! The file that was imported into fusion had few enough parts that I was actually able to add a bevel to the leading edge of a fin. It's still a cludgy way to do it, but in this case at least it worked.

 

[Lotronex]

I just recreate the model in Fusion 360 anyway, but this method will work well enough for what you're looking for.

 

[kramer714]

I use Rhino, there are few commands like drape and shrinkwrap

https://www.rhino3d.com/docs/guides/modeling/shrinkwrap/

This works well for 'reverse engineering' shapes

Plug for Rhino, really good for lofted surfaces