Close Holes

Use the Close Holes tool to fill in missing surfaces, or to remake bad or problematic surfaces.

If the Close Holes tool finds a group of open edges that define a closed loop, clicking a red edge will close the hole.

Figure 1. Closed Surface


If you select two groups of edges or lines that do not define a closed area, the Close Holes tool will create a surface between the groups.

Figure 2. Bridged Surface

Close Up Missing Surfaces

Close up open areas that define a closed loop, or create a bridge between two open edges that do not define a closed area.

  1. On the Geometry ribbon, select the Close Holes tool.
    Note: The tool may be hidden in the dropdown menu. To access the dropdown menu, you can do one of the following:
    • Select at the lower right corner of the currently displayed tool.
    • Click and hold the currently displayed tool.
  2. In the guide bar, select Find.
    All of the open edges in the model are selected and highlighted in red. The total number of open edges is displayed above the Close Holes tool. Chains of open edges that define a closed area are counted as a single entity.
  3. To review open edges located by the search, click and .
  4. Select open edges to define areas to patch or bridge.
    • To create a patch, select a group of edges that define a closed area. If there are several open edges that define a closed area, selecting an adjacent edge will add it to the chain.
    • To create a bridge, select two edges or groups of edges that do not define a closed area.
    • To close all candidate locations, click Apply .
    If the patch is successful, the new closed surface is shown in red.
  5. Optional: Use the options on the microdialog to apply tangent or positional continuity to the patched edges where they meet the adjacent surface.
  6. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.
Tip: Some geometry tools automatically detect relevant features when the tool is opened. You can disable this behavior in the Preferences under Inspire > Geometry > Autofind.

Define an Area to Close

Select open edges individually to define an area to close.

  1. On the Geometry ribbon, select the Close Holes tool.
    Note: The tool may be hidden in the dropdown menu. To access the dropdown menu, you can do one of the following:
    • Select at the lower right corner of the currently displayed tool.
    • Click and hold the currently displayed tool.
  2. Click the Clear Selection button on the guide bar to deselect all edges.
  3. Select open edges to define an area to patch or bridge.
    • Click an open edge to select it.
    • Select an adjacent edge to add it to the chain.
    • Ctrl + click to deselect an edge.
    • Ctrl + double-click to deselect an entire chain of edges.
  4. Once you have selected all of the desired edges, click the chain to perform the patch.
Tip: Click Find on the guidebar to find and select open edges. Chains of open edges that define a closed area are counted as a single entity.

Close Holes: Examples

Example 1: Close Holes - Before

Example 1: Close Holes - After

Example 2: Close Between Edges -Before

Example 2: Close Between Edges - After

Example 3: Close Between Lines -Before

Example 3: Close Between Lines - After

Keyboard Shortcuts & Mouse Controls

To Do this
Select (or deselect) an edge Ctrl+click
Select (or deselect) a chain of edges Ctrl+double-click
Exit tool Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.