A true Hollow Modifier
The current Solidify modifier doesn't really work for hollowing models for 3D printing because it only works on extremely simple geometry. Any complex geometry (more complex than a cube) tends to result in intersecting faces and generally bad geometry. To hollow a model I have to load the mesh into MeshMixer or Chitbubox and use their Hollow tools (which work perfectly), but it's a pain to switch between applications and is messy workflow. It would be great if Blender had a built-in, proper Hollow tool / modifier that worked as well as MeshMixer.
4 Comments
can you, if you link above other programs, show it?
very clever request , mesh mixer currently is doing it , there is an addon for hollowing mesh but it doesn't work as fast as mesh mixer
I've wrote a tool for that. It got integrated into the
3DPrint Toolboxof the Blender Addons.It is not a modifier, but is very fast. The geometry detail is controlled with a parameter.
The tool will be available with a future version of Blender. Meanwhile, I've made the same code available as a stand alone add-on here . It should work with Blender versions 3.5 and above.
For 3D printing - if the solid modifier had an option to simply the geometry on the inside, it might also be more useful. With my complex models it guarantees crashing blender. To create an open shell is also too many steps. Materialise Magics has the functionality and works perfectly, but is extremely expensive. Page 94 of the manual shows the versatility - help.materialise.com/131468-magics/magics-25-manual