Need to Remove Extra Geometry After Cavity Function in SolidWorks

TM 2025-07-31

Hello everyone,

I’ve been stuck on a fixture I’m trying to design using the Cavity tool in SOLIDWORKS, and after lots of searching on Google and YouTube, I haven’t had much luck.

Background

I have an STL file of a toy miniature that I'm looking to make some sort of impression mold. The mold must be two separate pieces that each fixture half the model. I decimated the STL using MeshLab to reduce triangle count and imported it into SOLIDWORKS as a solid body mesh (see import settings below). I then scaled the model and split it along the middle plane.

What I need to use in the cavity tool is a model like that has zero overhangs/gaps. This was created using linear patterns but will need use another method to create one solid body for the cavity tool.

Cavity geometry will not allow part to insert

What I've tried

Drafting from center plane to outside surfaces
Knitting surface patches or using linear patterns to mimic a pullable shape
linear pattern on cavity

Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Ultimately, I'm trying to create a mold that the model can be inserted into—so the cavity must match the shape without any overhangs or interferences.