Using Individual or Patch-Based Selection

The Surface Repair tool allows you to use two selection modes during repairs, organization, and diagnostic operations.

The selection modes are Individual or Patch, described in the following sections:
Individual
In individual mode, you can select from the individual faces (triangles or quads) that compose the tessellation on each surface. When you right-click on any face, the context menu gives you several options for selecting groups of faces starting from the selection.

Patch
In patch mode, you can choose from patches whose perimeters are determined by the underlying CAD geometry. Patches enclose contiguous groups of triangles or quads. In patch mode, the model is displayed with tessellated patch surfaces.

  1. To choose between the two modes, click the toggle box at the bottom of the scene next to the face selection control and select either Individual or Patch.
    The mode options are shown in the image below:

In patch mode, the mesh display is switched off and the patch definitions for the surface are outlined with thin gray lines. If part curves exists then they are shown in thin black lines (for example, see tyres in the image above).

  1. To see the mesh, click the (Show All Meshes) icon in the mesh toolbar.
    The patch outline is persistent across all face color modes so that you can see the patches while also displaying part surfaces and parts.
In individual mode, selecting entities like edges and vertices on complex surfaces can be time consuming and require multiple mouse clicks.
  1. To select edges with greater precision, switch to Patch mode, then double-click the edge you wish to select.
    The image below shows an example of smart selection (double-clicking an edge) around a curve body using both modes. In individual mode, double-clicking the desired edge did not achieve the correct result. The chosen path deviated from the expected line along the body. However, double-clicking the same initial edge when using patch mode achieved the desired result.

    To increase efficiency when making selections, you can switch between patch and individual modes. An example is shown in the following step that combines both modes when selecting a tyre thread.

  2. To initiate a patch selection from an individual triangle:
    1. In the Graphics window, set Selection Mode to Individual then choose a starting triangle within the area you wish to select.
      Here, for example, you wish to select the thin surface along one side of a tyre thread. You start by selecting one triangle.

    2. In the selection mode menu, switch the mode from Individual to Patch.


    3. From the left-hand set of actions, click Grow Selected.
      This action grows the selection to the perimeter of the patch that contains the starting triangle.
      Here, the perimeter of the patch coincides with the surface of the tyre tread. Hence you can select the whole thin surface without making individual triangle selections.