Mesh tools

The Mesh tools panel lets you build or refine the 3D model of the object you want your robot to pick. You can bring in a model by uploading an existing file or by scanning the object directly from the web interface, and then clean it up using the built-in editing tools before saving it.

The Mesh tools panel with the Mesh cropping section open and the cropping bounding box in the visualizer

1 Creating a mesh model

You can provide a mesh model to the Studio in two ways: by uploading a file you already have, or by scanning the physical object directly through the web interface.

1.1 Uploading a file

The Studio accepts STL and PLY mesh files.

To upload a model:

1. Navigate to the Picked Object configuration page for the vision system you are setting up.

2. In the CAD model field, click Browse… and select your STL or PLY file.

3. The model will appear in the 3D visualizer. Inspect it and proceed to the editing tools if any clean-up is needed.

1.2 Scanning directly from the sensor

If you have a physical sample of the object available and a 3D sensor connected to the vision controller, you can create a mesh model by scanning the object directly inside the web interface by selecting your scanner ID.

Note: A model made from scan will be one-sided only, from the point of view of the scanner. It is best suited for objects that are either symmetrical or semi-oriented on the scene. For asymmetric objects in random orientations, a full 360° CAD model made either in CAD software or Photoneo 3D Meshing software is recommended.

To scan and import a model:

1. On the Picked Object page, click the Scan button.

2. Select the 3D sensor from the list.

3. If not already connected, connect the 3D sensor by clicking the Connect button.

4. To scan the scene, click Trigger scan.

5. The scan is processed into a mesh and loaded into the visualizer automatically.

6. Use the editing tools described below to crop and clean the result before saving.

The Scan the object dialog with the 3D sensor selection and the Trigger scan button

Creating a mesh model by scanning the object from the Picked object page

2 Editing the mesh

The Mesh tools are located in a separate tab in the Picked Object page. The recommended order of operations is: crop first, then run any other filters as needed.

Mesh created from a scan, before editing

Overview of the editing functions in the Mesh tools tab

2.1 Mesh cropping

Use cropping to remove parts of the mesh that do not belong to the object — for example, the table surface or bin walls that were included in the scan.

1. In the Mesh tools panel, select Mesh cropping.

2. A bounding box appears in the visualizer around the mesh. Drag the handles to resize and reposition it so that it tightly encloses only the object you want to keep.

3. Choose whether to remove the geometry inside the box or outside the box.

4. Choose the cropping mode:

   • Simple crop - Faces intersecting the walls of the bounding box are removed entirely.

   • Plane crop - Faces intersecting the walls of the bounding box are split into smaller faces, with their edges aligned to the walls of the bounding box. The selected faces are then removed, resulting in a clean, straight edge where the mesh was cut.

5. Click Apply.

Tip: Crop before simplifying. Starting with a smaller mesh makes simplification faster and produces better results.

Cropping a mesh with the bounding box

2.2 Mesh simplification

Large or highly detailed meshes can slow down localization. Simplification reduces the number of triangles while preserving the overall shape of the object.

1. Select Mesh simplification in the Mesh tools panel.

2. Adjust the Target quality slider. A lower value removes more geometry; a higher value keeps more detail.

3. Click Apply.

4. If you oversimplify and the model geometry breaks, return to the previous version with the Undo button.

Note: Simplification may take up to a few minutes for large meshes.

Simplifying a mesh with the Target quality slider

2.3 Occlusion-based filtering

Scanned meshes sometimes contain internal surfaces or hidden geometry that is not visible from the outside, or a one-sided model is desired when picking semi-oriented objects. Occlusion filtering removes triangles whose centre point is hidden behind other geometry.

1. Select Occlusion-based filtering in the Mesh tools panel.

2. Move the camera point of view so that the surface to be kept is visible.

3. Click Apply.

Removing hidden geometry with occlusion-based filtering

2.4 Normal re-orientation

Triangles whose normals point inward (back-facing faces) can interfere with localization. If the mesh was imported or scanned with inverted normals — visible as a dark or inside-out appearance in the visualizer — you can correct this in one click.

1. Select Normal re-orientation in the Mesh tools panel.

2. Pick whether to invert the entire model, or only align individual backward-facing triangles based on a selected correctly oriented triangle.

3. Click Apply.

Fixing inverted normals with normal re-orientation

2.5 Origin transformation

After all other mesh editing is complete, you may want to adjust its origin point. The origin point is a reference for any symmetry, model feature or gripping point setup, so setting it to object center or corner will simplify the rest of the solution setup workflow.

Note: There is an automatic option to put the origin to the centroid of the model.

Moving the model origin with origin transformation