Meshmixer has a lot of the same capabilities as Netfabb such as hole filling, auto repair, and analysis tools. In most cases all of the basic hole filling and normals-inversions can be done in Netfabb, but Meshmixer does have many unique features that are outlined below.

Import your model. Jump first into the “Analysis” panel by clicking on the icon shown above. A panel will spawn in the upper left corner displaying many analytic functions including “Inspector”, “Thickness”, and “Measure”.

Inspector finds problem areas and allows you to auto repair them with different options for fill style.

Thickness allows you to see which areas fall below your chosen threshold.

Helpful for 3D printer constraints.

The “Edit” panel has a lot of functions to physically change your model. Shown to the right is the “Hollow” function which will save you lots of money in 3D printing and is essential for larger Form 1+ prints.

Offset distance: thickness of the walls.

Solid accuracy: how closely the hollow will follow the curvature of the model.

Mesh density: higher values mean a smoother interior.

Drainage holes are needed for hollow Formlabs models. Choose your number of holes per hollow, and then press “Generate holes”. Place the red dots by dragging them and press “Accept” to hollow.

The “Sculpt” panel allows you to smooth, decimate, add on to, or shrink parts of your model with an editable brush.

“Inflate” Brush

“Reduce” Brush

If this sculpting based modeling appeals to you, check out the free Mac-friendly software called Sculptris found at Pixologic.com which allows you to start with a 3D ball of clay and use advanced brushes to create a soft-edged model. For hard-edged, extrusion-based modeling from scratch, check out 123Ddesign, another free Autodesk program.

Within the “Select” panel, you can select portions of the model with a brush and then modify that section in a bunch of different ways.

For repairs, see the “Edit...” sub-menu for filling holes, reducing resolution, flipping normals and joining areas of the model.

Select the area with the brush and the sub-menus will show up.

Sometimes, the “Auto repair all” function in the “Analysis” panel can miss certain holes due to an irregularity in the shape or path of the hole. If you encounter a stubborn hole like this, you can fill it in the “Select” panel.

Double-click the edge of the hole to select the entire hole. Next, choose “Edit...” and “Erase & Fill”.

Choose a filling method from the drop-down box. Choose your settings with the sliders and hit accept. If your model is a textured OBJ file, the software will also try to copy the surrounding color info.

When you are finished repairing and editing your model, you must export it as an STL for 3D printing at the AOC. Go up to “File” and then “Export”.