PatchGAP 0.15.3 — Quick Guide

ABOUT

PatchGAP helps you manually build a low-poly model from editable patches

based on a CAD mesh imported from Plasticity. The imported mesh must retain

Plasticity surface metadata (face_ids and groups). A regular mesh without

this metadata cannot be used for CAD surface picking.

INSTALLATION

1. Download the ZIP for your Blender version: 4.5 or 5.2.

2. In Preferences > Add-ons, choose Install from Disk and select the ZIP.

   Do not extract it. Enable PatchGAP.

3. In the 3D Viewport, press N and open the PatchGAP tab.

When updating, disable the old add-on and restart Blender after installation.

QUICK START

1. Import your Plasticity model with its CAD surface metadata.

2. Click Patch and select a surface. Use MultiPatch to select several.

3. Adjust Segments: 16 means 16 edges, not 16 vertices.

4. Open Modify to edit individual boundaries and additional settings.

5. Click Finalize or press Enter when the patch is ready.

6. Select finished patches and click Join Patches to combine them.

   Merge Distance controls how close vertices must be to merge.

SURFACE TYPES

Quads U/V — A four-sided patch with a grid in two directions.

Triangles — Contour filling with independent boundary segment counts.

Radial — Radial filling of a closed planar contour.

Loft — A grid with direction and boundary-group controls.

Cylinder — A surface between two closed contours, including bent profiles.

Torus — A closed tube around a planar convex path, such as a rounded frame.

Knots and nonplanar closed paths are not supported by the current Torus mode.

MAIN CONTROLS

Auto — Rebuilds using automatic detection and initial settings, resetting

manual patch parameters. Suitable neighboring patches are taken into account.

Search Surface (refresh icon) — Tries the next successfully supported type.

Modify — Individual boundary controls and additional settings. Collapsing

this section preserves your edits.

Tris to Quads — Combines suitable triangles into quads.

Triangulate — Splits faces using the selected method, including Poke Faces.

In Front / Wireframe — Displays patches in front of the model and shows edges.

CYLINDER

Around Segments — Base segment count around the tube.

Along Segments — Segment count along the tube.

Rotation — Rotates all cross-sections together.

Modify provides separate segment counts and rotations for contours 1 and 2,

plus triangulation controls. In Modify, the mouse wheel changes only the

contour under the cursor. Unequal counts create transition triangles.

Interior cross-sections retain the base count. Once edited independently,

a contour no longer follows Around Segments. Auto restores initial settings.