Polygons > Thicken increases the width of a polygon object’s surface in both the inward and outward directions (thickens the walls so that the object might be rendered on a 3D printer). This function changes the size of surfaces, so surface meshes are modified in the process.
Thickness - specifies the ultimate thickness of surfaces.
Maintain Mesh checkbox - reduces the size of interior triangles, thus preserving the original mesh on the interior surface. Otherwise, triangles on the interior will be decimated.
OK button - stores the thickened polygon object in the Model Manager.
Cancel button - terminates the dialog without saving a thickened polygon object.
Apply button - thickens the walls of the polygon object and leaves the dialog open for further thickening.
To thicken the walls of an object:
Highlight a polygon object in the Model Manager, and optionally select a subset of its triangles in the Viewing Area.
Make sure the surface shown is according to your preference, either closed or complete. When the operation is performed, only the visible portion of the model will be affected. (See Showing Closed Surfaces Only.
Click Polygons > Thicken Polygons.
Check the Maintain Mesh box to reduce the size of interior triangles, thus preserving the original mesh on the interior surface. Otherwise, triangles on the interior will be decimated.
Enter the desired amount of thickness in the Thicken value box.
The changes are automatically applied.
• To change model unit settings, see Converting Units.
• At any time, click Reset to revert to the original model and begin applying changes again.
Click OK when you are satisfied with the changes, or click Cancel to exit the operation at any time.