Geom Clean

Table of contents:
Introduction
Geom Clean

Let's talk about the Geom Clean tool, previously known as Remove Duplicates. In other applications, similar functionality is commonly referred to as Remove Doubles, Merge by Distance, or Clean Geometry. While the naming may vary, the function remains the same: it removes overlapping or duplicated vertices, edges, and faces that occupy the same space within a model.

In SelfCAD, the Geom Clean tool can be found in the Utilities section of the main Toolbar, below the divider. It allows you to eliminate duplicated regions of a selected object, which are often created during merging operations, boolean combinations, or complex topology edits. In practice, this enables users to clean up messy geometry, prevent shading artifacts, improve mesh integrity, and prepare models for further editing or 3D printing.

The Utilities category serves as a modeling First-Aid Kit, providing tools that help maintain clean and functional geometry. Geom Clean plays an important role in ensuring structural consistency and avoiding issues caused by overlapping topology. In this article, we'll explore how to use the Geom Clean tool effectively and maintain optimized models.

Select the object

The first step of using the majority of modeling tools is selecting the object on which you want to use it. You can select it by either left-clicking on it in the workspace or by selecting it in the Object Management section, in the right-side panel. The second option has an in-built search engine, which is extremely useful when you are working with multiple objects.

Geom Clean

Once the object is selected, you can access the Geom Clean tool by choosing it from the Utilities drop-down list in the main Toolbar or use a shortcut by pressing the 'U+R' combination on your keyboard. It will open a tool panel on the left side of the screen where you can enable different options available for Geom Clean.

Remove Duplicates

It’s available for both 3D shapes and profiles. Enabling this option will remove overlapping or duplicated vertices and faces in the object's geometry. This helps clean up the mesh and prevents issues during modeling or 3D printing.

Cut intersecting edges

It’s available for 3D shapes only. Enabling this option will create cuts on the surface of the object where edges intersect. It connects all edges by adding vertices at the intersection points, ensuring the object is watertight and printable.

Remove Inner Faces

It’s available for 3D shapes only. Enabling this option will remove faces that are inside the object's volume, typically caused by combining objects incorrectly. This helps clean up the mesh and ensures a solid, error-free structure.

Remove Inner Edges

It’s available for profiles only. Enabling this option will remove all the edges inside the profile and keep only the outline.

Remove Loose Edges

It’s available for profiles only. Enabling this option will remove all the edges that are disconnected from the main profile.

And that’s about it for the Geom Clean. After reading this article, you should know the basics of this tool and how to use it, and know about its different applications.

That's all I have for you today. I wish you success in your future projects. See you, and stay tuned for more content to come!