Creating watertight models and troubleshooting errors

When you prepare 3D models for printing, the first thing to do is reduce their polycount by decimating them. Then, you need to ensure that your model has the proper topology and is watertight, giving it a volume. Errors and inconsistencies in the topology, such as non-manifold geometry or overlapping parts, will not be translated properly, leading to faulty or failed printing. In this section, you will learn how to prepare your model accordingly.

Using Decimation Master to reduce your meshes’ polycount

If you have highly detailed models with a high polycount, decimating them allows you to significantly reduce their polycount while still keeping their details. This is done through a topology with varying densities of polygons based on where the detail is – so, the polycount is low in smooth areas while it has a higher poly density in highly detailed areas, capturing the detail there. You can see what the decimation...