Meshmixer

Meshmixer is a 3D modelling application that provides you with the necessary tools for designing and printing 3D objects. It lets you compose models from scratch or explore a library and pick the models to work with.

After a fast setup procedure that doesn't need special attention, you are greeted by an attractive and intuitive interface, which invites you to import sample objects from a built-in library or Mesh files (.obj, .ply, .stl, .amf, .mix), or open existing scenes (.mix).

For instance, you can import a bunny, sphere, plane or reference. The bottom part of the main app window shows the total vertices and triangles, and you can use the right-click mouse button to change the perspective of the design.

Meshmixer puts a few drawing tools at your disposal, and each of them has configurable options. For instance, you can make a selection using Lasso or brush (sphere, sphere disc or unwrap brush), adjust the size and crease angle, or allow back faces.

Once a selection is made, you can replace the mesh region (flat minimal, flat remeshed, smooth MVC) and tweak the refine, smooth, scale and bulge levels. It's also possible to discard a selection, reduce a region, remesh, extrude or extract the selected area, change its offset, create a plane cut, attract surfaces to other surfaces, as well as convert to stamp, solid or open part.

What's more, you can transform, smoothen or warp a region, invert the selection, optimize boundaries, create facegroups, sculpt the surface with dynamic mesh refinement, customize colors, set the falloff type (e.g. bubble, linear, spike), show a symmetry plane, apply filters, insert stamp changes, or edit objects via mirroring, duplication, transformation, alignment, plane cuts, hollow, close cracks, or separate shells.

It's also possible to inspect and repair mesh defects (flat, minimal or small fill), take measurements, modify the measurement units and grid size, thicken the mesh lines, change the orientation, embed various shaders, and so on. The project can be exported to OBJ (simple or with per-vertex color), COLLADA (.dae), PLY, STL ASCII or binary, AMF, or VRML format.

The software application used a moderate amount of RAM and low CPU during our tests. It executed commands swiftly and didn't hang or crash. Several error messages popped up when we attempted to select some edit options, though (e.g. tube handle, bridge). Keyboard shortcuts are supported, and hints are spread across the interface to explain each selected tool.

Thanks to its interactive interface and advanced options (not to mention that it's freeware), Meshmixer proves to be a reliable 3D modelling program with a surprisingly rich set of features under its hood. It can be handled by expert users or beginners who want to learn more about 3D moddelling in an fun way.