Polygons > Fill Holes fills the gaps in a polygon object that are caused by sparse underlying point data. This function detects the presence of holes, constructs a polygon mesh over each, repairs the immediately surrounding areas, and allows limited customization of each new polygon mesh.
This function operates on any subset of the object that is selected before the function is started, or on the entire object if no selection is made.
After the function has detected the presence of all holes:
Individual holes can be selected by LeftClick or un-selected by Ctrl-LeftMouse. Use Ctrl-Z and Ctrl-Y to un-do and re-do the last mouse click.
The one largest hole can be un-selected (on the assumption that it is an open edge that must not be filled, such as the opening of a cup).
The controls on the Fill Holes dialog are:
Number of Holes - indicates the current number of holes on the object or selected region of the object.
Fill Method - select one radio button.
Fill icon button - specifies that you intend to fill:
a) one hole, b) all holes, c) all but the largest hole (because the largest
hole is often the opening in an open-profile object and must not be filled),
or d) all small holes of a given circumference or smaller.
Method Input group - controls the scope of hole-filling that you intend to perform:
To fill one hole, simply click its border in the Viewing Area and it will be filled immediately.
All Holes and Deselect Largest button - specifies that you intend to fill all holes, or all holes but the largest.
Automation Rules dropdown menu and Select button - specifies an automation rule name that you defined by an external process. An automation rule describes the geometry of holes that will be filled and is useful for repetitive filling. The Select button performs that rule on the object. See Automation Rule File.
Deselect Largest button - deselects the largest-circumference hole on the object. Press again to deselect the next largest hole.
Suppress Error Messages checkbox (default Off) - allows hole-filling to complete more quickly.
Small Holes button and Circumference field - specifies that you intend to fill all small holes of a given circumference or smaller.
Apply Boundary Cleanup checkbox - causes additional cleanup of messy holes. Typically, leave this turned on.
Fill All button - Performs the filling that is configured by the All Holes or Small Holes radio buttons above. To fill a single hole without filling all, simply double-click it.
Fill Partial icon button - specifies that you will
fill a portion of a single hole.
Method Input - allows the user to specify exactly which portion of one hole should be filled
First Point radio button - a mouse click will designate a point on a hole’s edge.
Second Point radio button - a mouse click will designate a second point on a hole’s edge. A line between the first and second points designates one boundary of the partial fill.
Included Boundary radio button - a mouse click on an edge of the hole will designate the second boundary of the partial fill. Filling takes place immediately after the included boundary is so designated.
Create Bridges icon button - specifies that you will
build one or more narrow bridges across a hole, thus dividing the hole
into separately fillable holes.
Bridge Type -
Single Edge radio button - you will build a “narrow” bridge of polygons from one edge of one polygon to another edge of another polygon.
Multiple Edges radio button - you will build a “wide” bridge of polygons from the edges of several adjacent polygons to the edges of several other adjacent polygons.
Method Input -
First End radio button - a mouse click will designate a polygon at one end of the bridge.
Second End radio button - a mouse click will designate a polygon at the other end of the bridge
First Point - a mouse click will designate the left side of an end of the wide bridge.
Second Point - a mouse click will designate the right side of an end of the wide bridge.
Included Boundary - a mouse click will designate the center of an end of a wide bridge.
Clean Up icon button - specifies that you will delete polygons (typically in preparation
for a more precise fill).
Action group -
Triangles radio button - one or more mouse clicks will designate individual triangles to be deleted.
Boundary Layers radio button - a mouse click on an existing hole causes a band of triangles around that hole to become selected. Subsequent clicks cause wider and wider bands of triangles to become selected.
Floating Data radio button - no mouse action is necessary. The Delete button will delete all floating data around the object.
Rim Distortion radio button - Many holes contain spurious cylindrical data at their edges. Typically, this data must be deleted. This unwanted data is called rim distortion. This Action allows the user to click on a hole and select the part that should be removed.
Connected Component radio button - Due to poor data or errors in merging, there can be floating pieces of surface that are only connected to the rest of the model by a few triangles. These regions can be selected with this operation. Clicking on the hole will select this unwanted piece of surface (see the image below).
Poor Boundary radio button - A hole with a poor boundary is a hole with a noisy or convoluted edge. A mouse click on a single hole causes the poor portions of that hole's boundary to become selected.
Poor Boundaries group - is a set of controls for the selection of all poor boundaries.
Select All Poor Boundaries button and Max. Circumference decimal field - adds all poor boundaries (of the maximum circumference or smaller) to the set of selected polygons so that subject holes can be enlarged and thereby prepared for a more precise fill.
Selected Triangles indicator - indicates the number of triangles that will be subject to the Action when you press the Delete Selection button.
Delete Selection button - deletes the selected triangles, selected edge, or all floating data.
Move icon button - specifies that you will move
or stretch the newly placed triangles. Click any individual newly
placed triangle, see an arrow that points in the triangle’s normal direction.
Optionally, adjust the normal by Left-Dragging the tip of the arrow. Use
the Shape and Distance
wheels to deform the fill, then click Execute.
To adjust the newly placed polygon, click it again and use Shape
and Distance again.
Shape field - controls the behavior of surrounding triangles while the triangle with the normal arrow is being moved.
Distance field - a distance to translate the selected triangle in the direction of its normal.
Next button - Makes the movements permanent.
Reset button - Restores the selected triangle to its position before it was moved, removes the arrow that indicated its normal direction, and un-selects that triangle. Next, select another triangle for movement or click other Fill Methods for others holes on the polygon object.
Curvature-Based Filling checkbox - specifies whether the fill process inserts flat or almost flat polygons into the hole, or attempts to match the surrounding curvature.
Suppress Warning Messages - specifies whether to suppress
Hide Selection checkbox - Newly placed polygons appear in the selection color, and therefore may be confused with selected polygons. Use this checkbox to hide all selected regions so that a filling is more obvious.
View Point group -
Step Through dropdown (Holes, Filled Regions) - specifies whether the next set of buttons (First, Previous, Next, Last) apply to the set of unfilled holes or the set of already filled holes.
First, Previous, Next, Last buttons - depending on what is selected in the Step Through pull-down, these buttons cycle through all detectable holes or filled holes on the object. Use these to find candidates for filling, or to examine the set of filled holes for possible use of the Move method.
Clip Plane checkbox - enables the viewing of internal holes.
OK button - saves the object to the Model Manager with all fillings, and closes the dialog.
Cancel button - closes the dialog without saving the object to the Model Manager.