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Convert surfaces to and from shells (stitch/unstitch)

Surfaces can be altered for use in Boolean operations or for exportation to a CAD package.

Previous: Convert a surface with a displacement map to a polygon mesh

Covert surfaces into a shell object

1  Make sure the normals on the surfaces are all pointing outward.

2  Pick the surfaces you want to combine into a shell. The surfaces must together define a closed space with no gaps.

3  Choose Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell stitch.

Note

Depending on how you set the options, a shell may not match the original surfaces exactly. In this case, unstitching will not produce surfaces that match the originals exactly either.

Covert a shell object into its separate surfaces

1  Pick the shell object.

2  Choose Surface Edit > Stitch > Shell unstitch.

What if...?

I can't make a shell object because of gaps between the surfaces?

• You can use the Align tool to make the surface edges match exactly.
How do I Align curves and surfaces for continuity
• You can change the tolerance governing how close surface edges must be. Choose Preferences > Construction options and set the Maximum Gap Distance option.

I can't stitch surface together again after scaling them?

If you stitch an object, then scale it, then unstitch it, you may not be able to re-stitch the object. This is because the scaling operation can increase the gaps between surfaces beyond the current tolerances.

Next: Use boolean operations on shells

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