MeshLab is a 3D mesh processing software system that is oriented to the management and processing of unstructured large meshes and provides a set of tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, and converting these kinds of meshes. MeshLab is

free and open-source software Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

, subject to the requirements of the

GNU General Public License The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...

(GPL), version 2 or later, and is used as both a complete package and a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

powering other software. It is well known in the more technical fields of 3D development and data handling.

Overview

MeshLab is developed by the ISTI - CNR research center; initially MeshLab was created as a course assignment at the

University of Pisa The University of Pisa (, UniPi) is a public university, public research university in Pisa, Italy. Founded in 1343, it is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Together with Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced S ...

in late 2005. It is a general-purpose system aimed at the processing of the typical not-so-small unstructured 3D models that arise in the

3D scanning 3D scanning is the process of analyzing a real-world object or environment to collect three dimensional data of its shape and possibly its appearance (e.g. color). The collected data can then be used to construct digital 3D models. A 3D scanner ...

pipeline. The automatic mesh cleaning filters includes removal of duplicated, unreferenced vertices, non-manifold edges, vertices, and null faces. Remeshing tools support high quality simplification based on quadric error measure, various kinds of

subdivision surface In the field of 3D computer graphics, a subdivision surface (commonly shortened to SubD surface or Subsurf) is a curved Computer representation of surfaces, surface represented by the specification of a coarser polygon mesh and produced by a re ...

s, and two surface reconstruction algorithms from

point cloud A point cloud is a discrete set of data Point (geometry), points in space. The points may represent a 3D shape or object. Each point Position (geometry), position has its set of Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z). Points may contain data other than ...

s based on the '' ball-pivoting'' technique and on the Poisson surface reconstruction approach. For the removal of noise, usually present in acquired surfaces, MeshLab supports various kinds of

smoothing In statistics and image processing, to smooth a data set is to create an approximating function that attempts to capture important patterns in the data, while leaving out noise or other fine-scale structures/rapid phenomena. In smoothing, the d ...

filters and tools for

curvature In mathematics, curvature is any of several strongly related concepts in geometry that intuitively measure the amount by which a curve deviates from being a straight line or by which a surface deviates from being a plane. If a curve or su ...

analysis and visualization. It includes a tool for the registration of multiple range maps based on the iterative closest point algorithm. MeshLab also includes an interactive direct paint-on-mesh system that allows users to interactively change the color of a mesh, to define selections and to directly smooth out noise and small features. MeshLab is available for most platforms, including

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

Mac OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and, with reduced functionality, on Android and

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

and even as a pure client-side

JavaScript JavaScript (), often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language and core technology of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. Ninety-nine percent of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior. Web browsers have ...

application called MeshLabJS. The system supports input/output in the following formats: PLY, STL,

OFF Off or OFF may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Off'' (video game), a video game by Mortis Ghost. *Sven Väth, German DJ and singer who uses the pseudonym OFF * ''Off'' (album), by Ciwan Haco, 2006 * ''Off!'' (album), by Off! * Off!, an Ameri ...

, OBJ, 3DS, VRML 2.0, X3D and COLLADA. MeshLab can also import point clouds reconstructed using Photosynth. MeshLab is used in various academic and research contexts, like microbiology,

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

, surface reconstruction, paleontology, for

rapid prototyping Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design ( CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing ...

orthopedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

, in

orthodontics Orthodontics (also referred to as orthodontia) is a dentistry specialty that addresses the diagnosis, prevention, management, and correction of mal-positioned teeth and jaws, as well as misaligned bite patterns. It may also address the modificati ...

, and desktop manufacturing.

Additional images

File:MeshLab snapshot elephant.jpg, Animal. File:Village Bourbonnais.png, Geographical data. File:MeshLab 2020.12 20221011 13 07 25- Meshes.png, Version 2020.12

References

External links

Github repository for MeshlabMeshLabJS
homepage of the experimental, client based, JavaScript, version of MeshLab that runs inside a browser.
MeshLab Stuff Blog
Development blog, with tutorials and example of use of MeshLab. * page dedicated to the

iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...

and

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

version of MeshLab.
MeshLab for Android
page dedicated to the Android version of MeshLab {{DEFAULTSORT:Meshlab 2005 software 3D graphics software 3D graphics software that uses Qt 3D modeling software for Linux Computer-aided design software Computer-aided design software for Linux Free 3D graphics software Free computer-aided design software Free graphics software Free software programmed in C++ Video game development software

Overview

Additional images

See also

References

External links