CAD tip # 8318:

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How to convert a 3DSolid to 3DMesh or 3DFaces?

Some types of simple 3DSOLIDs can be converted to surfaces with the CONVTOSURFACE command and then converted to 3D Meshes or 3D Faces.

But if you need to convert any general 3D solid, this method may fail. An arbitrary conversion to 3DMesh was usually accomplished using the 3DSOUT command (and possibly 3DSIN) in the older AutoCAD versions but as this command is not available anymore in the current versions, this way cannot be used either.

In AutoCAD 2011, 2012 and higher you can use the free LISP utility "CADstudio Sol2Mesh" and its commands SOL2MESH and SOL2FACES. These commands convert any 3D solid to meshes or separate 3D faces. You can download the SOL2MESH utility from Download and load it with APPLOAD.

For AutoCAD 2019, 2020 and higher, this tool uses a different conversion procedure. You can control the conversion smoothness with SMOOTHMESHMAXLEV.

ACAD2020ACAD2013ACAD2012ACAD2011

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12.11.2011 32125×

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applies to: AutoCAD 2020 · AutoCAD 2013 · AutoCAD 2012 · AutoCAD 2011 ·

See also:
Tip 14095:	How to increase the accuracy (smoothness) of STL files exported from AutoCAD?
Tip 14075:	Overview of CAD formats supported in Inventor 2025 (import/export/AnyCAD).
Tip 13472:	How to convert the structure of a volumetric lattice to a real mesh body?
Tip 13021:	Rotating model when hovering above a 3D point cloud. How to disable?
Tip 13013:	Converting a 3D mesh to a 3D solid in Fusion 360.

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