The interface
The start page
The start page shows when no document is open. To open it at a different time, select File > Home.
| Section | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Start | New Part, New Assembly and Open. |
| Recent | The files that you opened recently. |
| Templates | An empty part in millimeters, an empty part in inches, a plate, and a plate with a study. |
| Samples | Sample parts: Bolt, Bracket, ClockSpring, Enclosure, Flange, Gasket, Nozzle, Nut and Shaft. An Assemblies folder has sample assemblies. |
| Learn | Guided tours. |
Guided tours
A tour shows each step on the screen. Use Back, Next, Skip and Done to move through the tour.
- "Sketch and extrude in 60 seconds"
- A stress study tour
- A flow study tour
The ribbon
The ribbon is at the top of the window. It has these tabs:
| Tab | Groups |
|---|---|
| Features | Sketch, Create, Primitives, Modify, Pattern, Work Features |
| Sketch (shows during a sketch) | Create, Modify, Pattern, Constrain, Exit |
| Assemble | Component, Relationships, Manage, Presentation |
| Drawing | Sheet, Views, Annotate, Output |
| Inspect | Measure, Properties, Analysis |
| Simulation | Study, Supports, Loads, Thermal, Mesh, Solve, Results, Report |
| Tools | Model, Rules, Engineering, Data, Options |
| View | Navigate, Orientation, Appearance, Select, Windows |
The quick access bar has New, Open, Save, Undo, Redo and a selection filter. The file commands are in the application menu. Help is at the right side of the ribbon.
To find a command by its name, select Help > Search Commands. To see the keyboard shortcuts, select Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.
The model browser
The model browser shows the features, sketches, bodies, components and studies of the document. To show or hide it, select View > Model Browser.
Right-click a feature to see these commands:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit Feature | Opens the feature for a change. |
| Edit Sketch | Opens the sketch of the feature. |
| Suppress | Stops the selected features from computing. The features stay in the model. |
| Move End of Model Here | Computes the model only up to the selected feature. |
| Move Up, Move Down | Changes the order of the feature. |
| Visibility | Shows or hides the selected bodies, sketches, work features or studies. |
To calculate the model again, select Tools > Model > Rebuild. To set the material and the colors of a part, or the colors of components, select Tools > Model > Material.
Selection
The selection filter sets which items you can select. The filters are: Select Any Item, Faces, Edges, Vertices, Bodies, Features and Components.
Other edit commands: Undo, Redo, Delete, Rename, Select All and Cancel. To see the list of changes, select View > Undo History. Click a change to go back or forward to it.
Views
| Group | Commands |
|---|---|
| Navigate | Zoom All, Zoom Selected, Look At (look straight at the selected plane or face) |
| Orientation | Isometric, Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, Bottom, Home View, Set Current View as Home, Reset Home |
| Appearance | Perspective, Show Edges, Transparent, Wireframe, Show Grid |
| Studies | Hide All Studies, Show Only Active Study |
To move between open documents, use Next Document and Previous Document. To move between panes, use Next Pane and Previous Pane.
Inspect tools
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Measure | Measures distances, angles, lengths and areas. |
| Mass Properties | Shows the mass, volume, area and center of gravity. |
| Interference | Finds components that overlap in an assembly. |
| Section View | Cuts the view with a plane. |
| Printer Fit | Checks that the model fits the build volume of a 3D printer. |
Preferences
To open the preferences, select Tools > Preferences.
| Page | Settings |
|---|---|
| General | AI agent control, simulation compute (flow solver device and GPU precision) |
| Viewport | Use hardware acceleration, Graphics processor |
| Keyboard & Mouse | Keymap preset, key rebinding, mouse schemes |
| Updates | The daily update check, Install updates automatically |
Keymap presets
Meridian has six keymap presets:
| Preset ID | Description |
|---|---|
meridian |
The Meridian default. |
inventor-style |
Similar to Autodesk Inventor. |
solidworks-style |
Similar to SOLIDWORKS. |
fusion-style |
Similar to Autodesk Fusion. |
creo-style |
Similar to PTC Creo. |
onshape-style |
Similar to Onshape. |
You can select a preset in Tools > Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse, in the first-run setup, or with the command meridian setup --keymap <id>. You can also change each key.
The product names are trademarks of their owners. Meridian is not related to these companies.
The viewport and the graphics processor
Meridian draws the model with OpenGL. On Windows, it uses ANGLE with Direct3D 11. On Linux, it uses EGL or GLX. If hardware drawing is not available, Meridian uses a software renderer.
- To turn hardware drawing on or off, go to Tools > Preferences > Viewport > Use hardware acceleration.
- To select a graphics processor, go to Tools > Preferences > Viewport > Graphics processor.
- To see which renderer Meridian uses, select Help > About.
Autosave and recovery
Meridian has autosave and recovery. It saves your work at intervals, so that you can recover it if Meridian stops unexpectedly.
Plugins
To see the plugin trust decisions, select Tools > Plugins. On Linux, Meridian trusts plugins in /opt/meridian/plugins/ and ~/.local/share/Meridian/Plugins/.
Settings folders
On Linux, Meridian keeps its settings in ~/.config/Meridian and its data in ~/.local/share/Meridian.
Help menu
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search Commands | Finds a command by its name. |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Shows the keyboard shortcuts. |
| Check for Updates | Looks for a new version. |
| About | Shows the version, the license and the renderer. |
| Run Setup Again | Opens the first-run setup wizard. |
| Remove Desktop Integration | Removes the shortcuts and file associations that Meridian added. |
| Report an Issue | Sends a problem report to the Meridian team. |