MeshLib vs CinoLib: 3D Boolean Operations Benchmark
Among research boolean engines, the robust-booleans pipeline shipped with CinoLib has a special reputation: it is built to never give up, resolving even pathological input with exact arithmetic. We put that reputation to the test against MeshLib in our 2026 benchmark — timing both libraries on large scans and a degenerate dental mesh, and probing three edge cases that break most engines.
What is MeshLib?
MeshLib is an open-source 3D geometry SDK with a performance-first C++ core and official bindings for Python, C#, C, and JavaScript. Booleans are one of its flagship tools: the engine is tuned for scanned, imperfect data and multi-million-triangle meshes, converting non-manifold input into a processable form instead of rejecting it. That combination of speed and tolerance is why MeshLib powers commercial applications in dental, orthopedics, and 3D printing.
What is CinoLib?
CinoLib is an open-source, header-only C++ library for processing polygonal and polyhedral meshes, maintained as a research platform. For booleans it integrates a robust mesh-boolean pipeline built on exact arithmetic, designed to produce a valid result on any input, however broken. The library is MIT-licensed and aimed primarily at researchers and prototype builders.
MeshLib vs CinoLib comparison results
Testing setup — Apple M5 MacBook Air (10-core CPU, 32 GB unified memory), macOS 26. We report the minimum over 10 iterations per operation; mesh I/O is excluded from the timings. To access the input and result meshes used in our tests, visit this link.
Nefertiti Case
This scenario involves large meshes (2M Triangles each) with complex topology, representing a common challenge in 3D boolean operations.
| Operation | MeshLib 3.1.3.249 | CinoLib + RobustMesh |
|---|---|---|
| Nefertiti — Union | 0.09 (0.26) | 6.6 |
| Nefertiti — Intersection | 0.08 (0.23) | 7.1 |
| Nefertiti — Difference | 0.08 (0.23) | 7.5 |
Comments
Both libraries return correct results on the two-million-triangle scans, so this case is purely about speed. Exact-arithmetic robustness costs the CinoLib pipeline 6.6–7.5 seconds per operation, while MeshLib finishes each boolean in under a tenth of a second. Even after adding MeshLib's one-time precomputations (the numbers in braces), the gap remains well above an order of magnitude.
Dental Case
In this case, we simulate dental models (≈500K Triangles) with degeneracies and coinciding surfaces, reflecting real-world scenarios encountered in medical applications.
| Operation | MeshLib 3.1.3.249 | CinoLib + RobustMesh |
|---|---|---|
| Dental — Union | 0.04 (0.06) | 1.0 |
| Dental — Intersection | 0.05 (0.08) | 1.0 |
| Dental — Difference A-B | 0.05 (0.07) | 0.96 |
Comments
The degenerate dental scan slows the CinoLib pipeline to about one second per operation — a solid result that few engines match, and the output is correct. MeshLib returns the same correct booleans roughly twenty times faster, at 0.04–0.05 seconds per operation. Both libraries pass this robustness test; the question is whether the speed fits an interactive application.
Simple Objects Case
In this case, we compare how algorithms behave when handling complex geometries.
| Case | MeshLib | CinoLib + RobustMesh |
|---|---|---|
| Holed, Not Intersected | Yes | Yes |
| Holed Intersected | No* | Yes |
| Self-Intersections | No** | Yes |
Comments
The edge cases are where the CinoLib pipeline shines: it returns a result in all three scenarios, including a hole inside the intersection zone and self-intersecting input — the widest qualitative coverage in our benchmark. MeshLib takes a more conservative stance by design: it processes the hole that stays clear of the intersection zone and treats the remaining two setups as ill-defined rather than silently altering the geometry.
* MeshLib does not support the representation of non-manifold meshes and automatically converts them to a manifold form. ** The results of such operations are not well-defined, leading to a mesh with numerous inconsistencies, such as self-intersections and degeneracies. Mesh Boolean operations may eventually fail outright; see our overview of why 3D Boolean operations may fail and how to prevent it.
Why choose MeshLib SDK for 3D boolean operations over CinoLib?
For research on broken meshes, the CinoLib robust-boolean pipeline is a remarkable tool, and MIT licensing makes it easy to try. Production is a different equation: MeshLib delivers correct booleans 20–80× faster on real-world data, handles scanner output at interactive speed, and is available as a maintained commercial SDK with bindings for C++, Python, C#, C, and JavaScript and professional support. When booleans sit inside a shipping product, that is usually the deciding factor.
What our customers say
Massimo Ivani
CEO, Medialab
Read full review«Our application is a medical device, so we have to be able to trust the SDK behind it. We built a lot of internal tests before switching, and MeshLib gave us the precision we had before at twice the speed…»
Ruedger Rubbert
Chief Technology Officer, Brius Technologies Inc
Read full reviewWith MeshInspector MeshLib we were able to automate many of our workflow processes, thanks to its advanced, modern, and efficient dental and geometry oriented algorithms, covering many of our orthodontic-related tasks: CT and intraoral scan segmentation, voxel and Boolean operations, editing, aligning, visualization, inspection, and import/export of mesh objects. We use the versatile MeshInspector MeshLib API, both in production and R&D for fast prototyping and testing of our ideas.
Mariusz Hermansdorfer
Head of Computational Design at Henning Larsen Architechts
Read full reviewOver the past year, MeshLib has transformed my approach to design and analysis in landscape architecture and architecture projects. This powerful library excels in critical areas, such as geometry processing, interactive booleans, point cloud manipulation, and curve offsetting. These features enhance design workflows, allowing for dynamic modifications, efficient terrain modeling, stormwater flow analysis, and advanced wind flow visualiiza…
Gal Cohen
CTO, customed.ai
Read full reviewMeshLib has been a game-changer for our company, providing all the essential operations we need to handle meshes and create highly accurate personal surgical instruments (PSIs), which are our primary products. After extensive research and comparison, MeshLib stands out as the best solution on the market. Their team is exceptionally professional and knowledgeable. Collaborating with them has been an absolute pleasure—they respond to any issues we encounter promptly and always deliver effective solutions. Their commitment to customer support and technical excellence is truly unmatched.
HeonJae Cho, DDS, MSD, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, 3DONS INC
Read full reviewMeshLib SDK helped us achieve faster and more accurate calculation results and outperformed any other Mesh Processing library that we evaluated. For us in digital dentistry, it was a game-changer. Mesh processing operations, such as inspecting and editing the mesh to create dental devices for the treatment plan, are crucial. MeshInspector support liberated our team from technical constraints so we concentrated on creating exactly what we wanted. I highly recommend incorporating the MeshLib into your software arsenal.
Thomas Tong
Founder, Polyga
Read full reviewWhen we set out to develop our new PointKit scanning platform, we chose MeshInspector’s MeshLib as the foundation. That partnership let us accelerate development, ship new features faster, and get to market months sooner than we could have on our own. The MeshInspector team has been outstanding — quick answers, deep technical know-how, and genuine enthusiasm for our success. We simply wouldn’t be where we are today without their support.
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