Some time ago, i accidentally did this to a model / scan i was dynameshing. I have no recollection how I did it! I was hoping perhaps someone might recognize it and be able to guess what happened?
EDIT: btw i am asking because i am trying to replicate this effect as close as possible. i’m not sure, but it appears that perhaps the vertex order may have changed… not sure how to pull that off again.
Hi @schwendigo
Dynamesh will create holes where the geometry is thin. It will also do it if the mesh is not watertight. If you are going to use a mesh that isn’t watertight, make sure to go to “Preferences > Geometry” and move “DynaMesh Close Holes” slider to 0 before you dynamesh.
haha thank you, i should have mentioned that i am trying to replicate this effect.
do you have any tips on recreating this effect? cant seem to pull it off just with dynameshing after trimming.
Now that you have posted the close-up, I see that it’s not what I thought it was. I have no idea how you would recreate it easily.
ZBer2 is correct that the most common reason a mesh disintegrates with Dynamesh is because the geometry is overly thin or 2d. Once a mesh begins to disintegrate in an area, subsequent Dynameshes will make the problem progressively worse.
I also agree it’s not immediately apparent from this screenshot what has happened here. We would need to know much more about your process and the geometry prior to the Dynamesh operation. There might be something problematic about the geometry. If you’re working with scan data, this is entirely possible.
Dynamesh wants a closed volume with thickness to work. Your mesh here appears to be a closed volume with plenty of thickness. If the mesh was actually a shell and the inner and outer surfaces were too close together, this might explain what I’m seeing.
It would be valuable to me as well to understand what has gone wrong with your mesh here. If you have a copy of the mesh immediately prior to the Dynamesh operation that caused this effect and you are willing to provide it, go to Pixologic Support and start a Conversation. Describe the situation or link back to this thread. Mark your issue “Attn: Spyndel” and upload your tool file. We’ll have a look at it.
Good luck! 
Hey Spyndel,
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Unfortunately, all I have is this screenshot from quite some time ago - no mesh or .zt. Essentially I made a mistake, and am trying to replicate it.
The only thing I do remember is that I think there was some dynameshing involved, and some claypolish iterations with extreme values. The scan data was pretty watertight, though I did trim off the back parts of it and then re-dynamesh.
I know this is scarce info to work with and my expectations are minimal in terms of getting clear directions, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Thank you again,
m