Your Guide to 3D Geometry Repair and Smoother 3D Modelling in Slide3 and RS3
When you come across messy geometries in your work, including defects like invisible disjoints or poorly triangulated surfaces, knowing what to do can save you precious time that you can use for analysis. Below, we’ll outline a step-by-step workflow to fix your geometry, plus some tips for smoother modelling, that Sina Javankhoshdel and Sina Moallemi discussed in a past webinar.
In Part 1 of this guide, we covered the challenges of 3D geometry creation and cleanup — how small gaps, disjointed surfaces, and poor triangulation can derail your analysis, and what steps you can take to build cleaner models from the start.
Now, in Part 2, you’ll learn how to repair those problematic geometries when cleanup alone isn’t enough. Below is a step-by-step workflow for geometry repair in Slide3 and RS3, along with expert insights to help you improve your modelling and analysis.
A Step-by-Step Workflow for Geometry Repair
Systematic geometry cleanup is crucial for accurate and reliable analysis. A structured approach ensures consistency and avoids overlooking potential issues. While there are many strategies you could take, here’s a recommended workflow:
- Start with retriangulation: This step improves geometry quality by ensuring uniform, high-quality triangles.
- Identify and repair defects: Use the Repair Geometry function to address issues such as holes, self-intersections, and near-degenerate triangles – if there are not many issues detected and\or if one click repair fixes the defects. Otherwise, do not use this tool at the beginning.
- Ungroup problematic geometries: Separate non-manifold sections or disjointed entities for targeted repair.
- Form closed triangulations: If you pick multiple pieces and use the Form Closed Triangulation function, clicking no will perform the action for each individual entity, and clicking yes will do it for all the entities together. With this you can make sure that all volume pieces are watertight.
- Use Divide All Geometry: If the other steps don’t work, export the entity that you want to repair into a separate project, create an external box around it, and then try the Divide All Geometry tool. It can resolve underlying defects during the division process.
This workflow can handle both straightforward and complex geometries and reduce time spent on troubleshooting.
Tips for Smoother 3D Modelling and Analysis
Even with clean geometry, small adjustments to your workflow can improve results. Here are some tips to optimize your modelling process:
- Simplify where possible: Avoid unnecessary complexity. For example, overlapping stopes or tunnels can be unified into a single convex volume, reducing computational cost without sacrificing accuracy.
- Assign materials early: Assigning material properties before dividing geometries ensures logical continuity and avoids time-consuming fixes later.
- Optimize triangulations: Use retriangulation to create consistent, high-quality meshes, especially for complex models with detailed surfaces or volumes.
- Leverage advanced repair features: If simple repairs aren’t enough, tools like “Ungroup Non-Manifold” can address more persistent issues.
- Divide All Geometry in multiple steps: Running this function in multiple steps, not all at once, can help keep your models computationally efficient. After each, collapse small volumes to have a cleaner geometry for the next divide.
These small changes can improve the efficiency and reliability of your model and save you time overall.
Achieving Cleaner Models and Better Results
When you follow a structured workflow and apply these advanced cleanup tips, you can optimize your geometry repair process and avoid common pitfalls. Simplifying your models and resolving defects early will ensure smoother meshing and more accurate results so you can get the most out of your projects.
Missed part one of this webinar recap? Read our guide for 3D geometry cleanup and common challenges here!
