# Having trouble understanding model types

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [July 24, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726 "2020-07-24T22:43:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ugi\_Mikla](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/ugi_mikla/32/7603_2.png) [@Ugi\_Mikla](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/Ugi_Mikla)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726/1 "2020-07-24T22:43:14Z")

</div>

Hi there!  
I’m new at this software- Trying to learn to segment and create models for dental research purpose.  
I will really appreciate if someone could help me understand the difference between the surface model and the solid model.  
I understand that modelling with slicer reaches de surface one, am i right?  
What is it that i CANT do with a surface model, that i can with a SOLID one?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 11:08pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726/2 "2020-07-24T23:08:11Z")

</div>

Would you like to know the difference between surface meshes / volumetric meshes (stored in model node)? Or between model nodes / segmentation nodes / labelmap volume nodes?

What would you like to achieve?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ugi\_Mikla](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/ugi_mikla/32/7603_2.png) [@Ugi\_Mikla](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/Ugi_Mikla)\
**Post date:** [July 24, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726/3 "2020-07-24T23:33:45Z")

</div>

okey, maybe I’d go with surface and volumetric meshes issue. I am trying to generate 3d models of bone and segmented teeth. I want to export them and have the possibility to print them. Also, I dont know if I cant analyze (particularly measure volume and surface area) of my models being surface. I have been reading buy I am a mess here. Thank you

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lassoan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/lassoan/32/13_2.png) [@lassoan](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/lassoan)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/having-trouble-understanding-model-types/12726/4 "2020-07-25T00:21:24Z")

</div>

You typically need volumetric meshes for finite-element analysis (e.g., mechanical modeling). For everything else, such as 3D printing and surface and volume measurements, you only need a surface mesh, because you are only interested in the boundary surface of the object.