Delete small parts

A CAD assembly is mostly small things: screws, washers, clips, nuts. From a normal viewing distance nobody sees them, but there are hundreds of them and each one costs triangles. This card removes every part below a size you choose.

When to use it

Early, when the model is for looking at as a whole and the small hardware does not matter. Do not use it when the fasteners are the point of the picture.

Steps

1. Open the card Delete small parts in the right sidebar, under Clean up.
2. Drag the slider Smaller than. The value is a share of the whole model’s size. It starts at 2%.
3. Read the line under it. It says how many parts would go.
4. Press Isolate. Only the parts that would be deleted are shown, so you can check them.
5. Drag the slider again if needed. While the small parts are isolated, the view follows the slider.
6. Press Delete. The button says how many small parts it will remove.
7. Press Show all to see the rest of the model again.

What the options mean

Smaller than

The threshold, in percent of the model’s size. A part below it counts as small.

Measured by: Diagonal

The distance from corner to corner of the part’s bounding box. The usual choice.

Measured by: Longest side

The part’s longest side. It keeps long thin parts such as rods and pipes, and is stricter with flat ones.

Measured by: Volume

The volume of the part’s bounding box. It catches thin sheets and wires however long they are.

See the small parts without deleting them

The button with the warning triangle on the viewport’s tool strip tints every part under the threshold. The same switch is Highlight small parts under Settings, Viewport.

Undo

The delete is one undo step. Press CtrlZ and the parts are back.