Merge

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This tool is accessible via the 'Edit > Merge' menu, or via the icon in the upper main toolbar.

Description

Merges two or more entities. You can currently merge clouds or meshes.

Merging clouds

Warning: when merging clouds, the original clouds will be deleted (you may have to save or clone them first).

Since version 2.9, CloudCompare will ask the user if (s)he wants to generate a scalar field with the original cloud indexes (per point). If the user answers "yes", then an 'original scan index' scalar field will be created, with the index of the cloud from which it is originated.

Merging meshes

When merging meshes, the original meshes are not modified/deleted. CC will create a new composite mesh structure. Sub-meshes are also created for each input mesh so that the original structure is preserved (useful when saving the result as an OBJ file).

Merging meshes (input: 'Knee joint' group - output: 'Merged mesh' entity)

Notes:

• all triangles are copied but not actually merged topologically speaking (i.e. they won't share the same vertices). Refer to the qCork plugin (Boolean Operations on Mesh) to do this
• since version 2.6.2 this operation preserves the grid structures associated to structured point clouds (the resulting cloud will simply have multiple associated grids)