Fig 1. PlyEdit GUI

When running, PlyEdit consists of 2 windows:

GUI window 

Usually opens up towards the top left of the desktop, and is where you'll find push buttons, value fields, sliders etc. See Fig 1.

3D window 

Opens up to the right of the GUI window, and is where the PLY mesh itself is displayed. Where the User Guide refers to a key action (e.g. <H> to hide), you will need to move the mouse pointer into the 3D window before using the key.

Over the following pages the PlyEdit interface will be described. Use the menu to the left to move through the various chapters.

Fig 2. Preferences

When you click on the About PlyEdit button, a window pops up (see Fig 2), showing the version and build date of the PlyEdit that you are currently running.

Run Licensing GUI 

Runs the licensing GUI common to all headus applications. Here you can check your local and floating keys, and edit the local keys file.

View User Guide 

Click this button to view a PDF version of the User Guide in your default browser. Its loading a file included in the software installation, so you don't need to be connected to the internet to view it.

Optional Products 

This only applies to users who are running PlyEdit via floating licenses. By default PlyEdit is greedy and will grab all available optional licenses. For example, to use the Body Dewobble tool, a CyEdit license is required; PlyEdit will grab that license from the license server if one is available. If you aren't going to use the Body Dewobble tool then you can turn CyEdit off under the Optional Products panel, and that license will then be available for other users.

Preferences 

Click on this button to open up the Preferences panel. In there are a couple of settings you can change that will be remembered next time you run UVLayout.

Auto Shade By Default 

Turns on the Mesh Display A option by default, where PlyEdit automatically selects a wire or shaded display depending on the number of faces visible.

Mouse Buttons 

Sometimes PlyEdit will get confused about the number of buttons your mouse has, particularly if you're on a laptop and are swapping between an external mouse in an inbuilt touch pad without completely rebooting. This may affect things like the Space-MMB action to move objects around. You can use this setting to force PlyEdit to treat the mouse as though it has the number of buttons you select.

Restore GUI panels 

If you turn this on, then panels opened up when you exit PlyEdit are reopened the next time PlyEdit is run.

Min. Size 

By default, PlyEdit will display a warning if the PLY file being loaded is smaller than 50mm in size. You can change that minimum size here.

Flash Sculpt Brush 

Normally the sculpting brush (e.g. for smoothing) will indicate which faces are being editing by briefly drawing them in a different color; this appears as flickering or flashing of those faces. With some graphics hardware the drawing is so quick that the flashing isn't visible, so ticking this option will make sure it is.

[edit] Conventions Used in This Guide

"Tap/Type/Use the <X> key" : press and quickly release the X key on the keyboard.

"Type <X><Y>" : press and release the X key, then press and release the Y key.

"Hold the <X> key" : press and only release the X key once the desired operation is complete.

"<Shift-X>" : first press and hold the Shift key, then tap or hold the X key.

"<Ctrl-X>" : as above, but with the Ctrl key.

"Click the <LMB>" : click the left mouse button once.

"Double click the <LMB>" : click the left mouse button twice, quickly.

"Drag the <LMB>" : press and hold the left mouse button while dragging the mouse.

"<Ctrl-LMB>" : first press and hold the Ctrl key, then do the left mouse button click or drag.

"<MMB>" : middle mouse button, or the right mouse button if you only have a 2 button mouse.

"<RMB>" : right mouse button.