Orca “Repair” removes colors: why?
In multicolor (painted) models the color is stored as separate information on every triangle of the mesh. When Windows’ 3D repair service rebuilds the mesh, that per-triangle data cannot be carried over and the colors are lost.
Why does it happen?
- When you press “Repair” on a warned model, Orca uses Windows’ built-in 3D repair service.
- The service regenerates the triangles; because paint is attached to triangles, it disappears with the old ones.
- On large files the repair can take long and can even increase the problems instead of reducing them.
How to fix it
- Do not press “Repair” in Orca; give the file to the Model Repair tool instead.
- The tool does not rebuild the mesh: existing triangles and their paint stay as they are, and only the problem edges are corrected.
- Download the result and open it in Orca; the number of painted triangles is listed before/after in the repair report.
Frequently asked questions
Are all edges fixed after the repair?
Most of them usually are; on complex self-touching surfaces a few may remain. The tool never gives a worse result than the start: if it cannot improve the file, the file stays as it was.
Does it work on large files?
Yes; for files with millions of triangles there is a progress bar, elapsed/remaining time and a Cancel button. Very large files need browser memory.