Opening and Saving Files
Understand the difference between importing a mesh and opening a saved MeshTools project.
MeshTools treats imported meshes and saved projects differently.
Open Modes
Importing OBJ or STL
When you open .obj or .stl, MeshTools imports the mesh into a new working document.
- Supported import formats are OBJ and STL.
- Imported meshes get a fresh history starting from the import event.
- The imported document is not yet a saved MeshTools project.
- The project up axis starts from the default import setting in Settings.
Opening .mt
When you open .mt, MeshTools loads a saved project archive.
- Mesh geometry is restored from the project archive.
- Explicit edges are restored.
- Entity sets are restored.
- The saved project up axis is restored.
- Console log history stored in the project is restored.
Save and Save As
| Command | Behavior |
|---|---|
Save | Saves back to the current .mt path if the document already has one |
Save on an imported mesh | Falls through to Save As |
Save As | Prompts for a .mt path and creates a new project archive |
If you choose a name without the .mt extension, MeshTools adds .mt automatically.
Busy-State Rules
MeshTools blocks conflicting file operations while it is:
- loading a project,
- importing a mesh,
- restoring history,
- running a mesh edit, or
- rebuilding topology caches.
If you try to open or save during one of those operations, the console explains why the action was skipped.
Progress Dialogs
Longer operations show a modal progress dialog. You will see this during:
- project open,
- mesh import,
- history restore,
- modify operations, and
- topology cache preparation.
Samples
The File > Open Sample menu opens sample .mt and .stl files shipped with the repo. This is the fastest way to inspect the app without preparing your own mesh first.