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A scan or STL captures a surface approximation. Rebuilding it as CAD requires choices about planes, cylinders, symmetry, dimensions, and which details should be preserved. Ask Adam to inspect the file and propose a reconstruction path supported by your CAD tools. Mesh inspection and repair do not by themselves produce an editable feature tree.

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Define the result you need

Provide the source mesh, units, known measurements, and intended use. Say whether you need a cleaned mesh, a reference model, fitted solid geometry, or an editable parametric reconstruction. For point clouds or proprietary scan formats, first check whether the task’s tools can read them; request a supported export when necessary.

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Inspect before rebuilding

Plan a reconstruction from an STL
Separate scan artifacts from intentional features. A notch could be damage, missing scan coverage, or a functional detail; the mesh alone may not resolve it.

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Reconstruct and compare

Rebuild the agreed features

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Review the output

Check dimensions at the mounting interfaces, body validity, surface coverage, and the deviation of fitted features. A global average error can hide a large local mismatch at a critical surface. Keep the original scan, fitted model, measured references, and comparison together. If the result is an approximation, label it accordingly. For dimensioned drawings, use Drawing to model; for simulation, review simplifications in Geometry preparation.
Last modified on October 14, 2026