CAD VALIDATION · REPAIR
Check and repair CAD in your browser
A model can look correct on screen and still contain geometric or topological errors. 3DXDE checks the retained CAD geometry, identifies supported problems and lets you preview a repair before applying it.
Open the Repair tab in the workspace to check STEP, IGES or BREP files, including the default CAD assembly. Processing stays on your device; this tool does not validate or repair mesh inputs.
Understand the result
Read Valid, Invalid or Incomplete separately from closed-solid or open-surface status. A valid open surface is not an error.
Preview before applying
Compare the original and candidate, issue counts, topology, tolerances and available area or volume changes.
Keep control of changes
Discard a preview or apply an eligible result. One undo restores the model before the last applied repair.
Step-by-step
Open the model and Repair tab
Choose your STEP, IGES or BREP file, then open Repair. On a phone, open the right panel to access the tab.
Choose the scope and check CAD
Check the whole model or selected parts. Assembly selections include their descendants, including hidden parts; a selected face, edge or vertex checks its owning part.
Review the report
Use status filters, search and pagination to review long reports. Click an issue to locate its displayable geometry; a missing display mesh does not mean the underlying CAD passed validation.
Configure and preview repair
Basic repair is enabled by default. Optionally enable sewing or closed-shell solid creation, review the original tolerances, and start Preview repair. The default repair tolerance is 0.001 mm.
Compare, apply or discard
Switch between Original model and Repaired model. Apply repair is enabled only when the scoped result passes validation, display meshing and attribute-mapping checks. Otherwise discard the candidate and inspect the reported reasons.
Check the result and test undo
After applying, check again and export the current model if needed. Undo last repair restores the previous model; check again to compare. Keep the original file and downloaded results before refreshing.
Try the repair sample without downloading first
In the Repair tab, expand Try a repair sample and click Load sample directly. This replaces the current model, so export any result you want to keep first.
The small BREP box has an intentionally inconsistent edge parameter flag. It can look normal while the check reports an error. Run Check CAD, keep Basic repair enabled, preview and apply the repair, then check again. Undo last repair and recheck to see the original issue return. A download link is also available.
What each repair option does
| Option | Behavior and limits |
|---|---|
| Basic repair | Attempts supported orientation, wire connection, curve representation and parameter-consistency fixes. |
| Sew surfaces | Sews only inside a part definition. Different parts are not merged; shared definitions are repaired once for all their instances. |
| Closed shells to solids | Requires closed, orientable shells and successful checks. Cavities are preserved; ambiguous nesting remains as shells with a reason. |
Valid geometry is not always a closed solid
Validation and closure answer different questions. A valid open shell or surface can be an applicable repair result without becoming a solid. An incomplete check is not a pass, and unavailable volume must not be interpreted as zero.
The report identifies supported geometry and topology problems, including open edges and non-manifold conditions. It is not an assembly interference check, manufacturing approval or complete self-intersection certification.
Tolerance and small features
The repair tolerance defaults to 0.001 mm and can be edited. Review the original model tolerances first. The setting is not automatically enlarged and is not a guarantee of maximum geometric displacement.
Automatic deletion of short edges or small faces and hole filling are disabled. Problems outside the supported repair operations remain in the report; arbitrary damaged models cannot be guaranteed repairable.
Preview, attributes and export
The original CAD stays unchanged during preview. Measurement, automatic properties and export pause until you apply or discard it. Names, colors, units, instance transforms and assembly structure must remain mapped; conflicting attribute mappings block application.
Applying or undoing rebuilds topology identifiers and clears previous selections and measurement results. After application, export uses the current repaired CAD with the existing filename rules. Check important dimensions and reimport the exported file in your receiving CAD application.
Your files stay in your browser
3DXDE reads the files you select and processes model geometry locally in your browser. Model files are not uploaded or saved to a cloud file history. No account is required. The browser still downloads the application and its processing resources when needed.
Referenced files must be included in your selected file group. Missing files, ambiguous names and references outside that group are rejected; model references are not fetched from external websites. Refreshing the page clears the loaded model, so keep your original files and any exports you download.
The public website uses Google Analytics for basic page-visit statistics, including browser identifiers and cookies. Model files, filenames, file paths and geometry are excluded from analytics. Forms, model downloads and model interactions are not tracked.
Common questions
Can this repair STL or OBJ files?
No. Check and Repair currently operates on retained STEP, IGES and BREP CAD geometry. Mesh viewing, measurement and conversion remain separate features.
Why is Apply repair disabled?
The candidate must pass the scoped validity, display-mesh and attribute-mapping checks. Read the reported blockers; previewing a result does not mean it is safe to apply.
Will converting IGES to STEP repair it automatically?
No. Use the explicit check and repair workflow, review the candidate, apply only an eligible result and then export. Format conversion alone does not guarantee a closed solid.
Can I recover the original after applying?
One Undo last repair restores the previous model in this page session. Discard preview leaves the original unchanged. This is not persistent file history, so keep your source files.