2011

Table Of Contents
mesh faces extruded, then smoothed
If you are working on an object that has not been smoothed, try smoothing
it periodically to see how the extrusion is affected by smoothing.
Convert between mesh and 3D solids or surfaces.
Mesh modeling is powerful, but it cannot do everything that solid modeling
can do. If you need to edit mesh objects through intersection, subtraction, or
union, you can convert mesh to 3D solid or surface objects. Similarly, if you
need to apply creasing or smoothing to 3D solid or surface objects, you can
convert those objects to mesh.
Keep in mind that not all conversions retain complete fidelity to the shape
of the original object. Avoid switching between object types more than once,
if possible. If you notice that the conversion modifies the shape of the object
in an unacceptable way, undo the conversion and try again with different
settings.
The Mesh Tessellation Options Dialog Box (MESHOPTIONS) controls the
smoothness and shape of the faces for 3D solids or surfaces that are
converted to mesh. Although you can convert an object to mesh without
opening this dialog box (MESHSMOOTH), you can more easily experiment
with different conversion settings by launching the conversion operation
from within the dialog box.
The SMOOTHMESHCONVERT system variable (also available on the ribbon)
sets whether the mesh objects that you convert to 3D solids or surfaces are
smoothed or faceted, and whether their co-planar faces are optimized
(merged).
Tips for Working with Mesh | 1193