Stacked copies

Some files hold the same part twice, in the same place. From a distance nothing looks wrong. But the two surfaces lie on each other, so the screen flickers where they meet, because the graphics card cannot tell which one is in front. And the triangles are stored and drawn twice. Stacked copies finds these parts and keeps one of each.

Ten identical bolts in ten different places are not stacked copies. Only parts in the same place count.

Open the card

Press CtrlK to open the search, type stacked, and choose Find stacked copies…. The card opens over the viewport, at the bottom left, like Split and Fill holes. Esc puts it away.

Steps

1. Open the card Stacked copies as above.
2. Set Same place within. The slider goes from 0 to 5 percent of the part’s size, and starts at 0.5. At 0 the parts must lie almost exactly on each other. A higher value also accepts copies that are a little off.
3. Switch on Also near copies if the copies may differ a little. Off, two parts count as copies only when they have the same number of triangles. On, the number may differ by up to a quarter, as with another export of the same part, or a copy that was rebuilt with a different mesh.
4. Press Find stacked copies.
5. The extra copies are selected, and a line says how many, for example “6 extra copies of 6 parts selected; the first of each is kept”. The part that was loaded first stays. If there are none, it says “No stacked copies found”.
6. Press Isolate to look at the extra copies on their own. Check them.
7. Press Delete to remove them.

Good to know

• Hidden parts are not looked at. Show all parts first (AltH).
• The card remembers Same place within and Also near copies for next time.
• Faces that lie exactly on each other still flicker in the viewport. This card is the way to find the parts that cause it.

Undo

Selecting changes nothing. The delete is one undo step: CtrlZ brings the copies back.