Autodesk announced that Meshmixer, a tool for easily manipulating 3D meshes, has been added to their 123D suite of 3D modeling applications.
Meshmixer has been around for quite a while and is frequently used by hobbyists and others to fix and mix 3D models. It provides an easy ability to combine multiple meshes to create (sometimes) unusual meshes: imagine placing horns on your friend’s head, for example.
We typically use Meshmixer for cleaning up lousy 3D scans, which often are rough and contain ugly seams, which usually appear when your subject hasn’t remained as motionless as they promised. Meshmixer can smooth out such areas, fill holes and generally make your model acceptable for 3D printing.
Now this capability appears in the 123D suite. While you could always (and still can) use it as a standalone tool, its presence in the suite means more people will discover and use it.
What’s actually being released is Meshmixer version 2, which is a very substantial upgrade over previous Meshmixer versions. The features are too numerous to mention, but we quite liked the new interface, automatic support and mesh repair features. Check the video for a quick sample of what you can do.
And then imagine all the crazy stuff that will appear shortly on the 3D model repositories.
Via 123D
I am glad to see that programs are starting to support tools that will aid in 3d printing. I can't wait for more of them to start doing the same, so that I have a wider selection to pick from.