# Inset The Inset Type has been changed so that you no longer need to select the faces encompassing any marked sharp edges. You only need to select the edges now and the faces are automatically selected by the script using and angle threshold to limit the selection. The generated panel cut detail are composed of what is called "panel islands" or "face islands". These are sets of faces that make up a selection of faces surrounded by the marked sharp edges. They are separated from other panel islands and each can have a different setting when you use randomization or toggle off the unified value. The terminology "inset depth" and "extrusion" are both used to describe the offset of the panel islands.

Basic workflow: Select the edges you want as panel cut details then use Inset type.

Setting	Function
Type	Method of generating the panel cut details.
Limit	Determines what elements to use to create the panel cuts. 1. Select: This will use the selected edges. 2. Sharp: This will use the marked sharp edges. 3. Seam: This will use edges with seams marked.
Edge Walk	Selects the entire edge loop from an edge or multiple edge selection. This makes it easier to create straight lines by just selecting edges of different directions. The invert toggle can be used to reverse the order of selection so you get a different cut result.
Angle	Angle threshold where the surrounding faces generated to encompass the panel cut detail stops.
Pre Dissolve	Limit dissolves the mesh except for marked sharp edges to speed up the process.
Even Depth	Use inset even depth. This ensures the extruded faces have even offset in sharp transitions.
Thickness	This determines the thickness or width of the panel cut. This has a toggle to randomize between min/max values.
Depth	This determines the height or depth of the extruded faces surrounding the panel cut. This has a toggle to randomize between min/max values.
Margin	This determines the margin between the face islands.
Offset	This determines the offset of the face islands from the source mesh.
Clear Faces	This is used to remove the side or top faces of the panel islands.
Keep Boundaries	Keeps or removes the surrounding face island when using Inset type on a face selection.
Clear Sharp	Clears marked sharp edges from the source mesh.
Bevel Offset	Bevels the corner vertices of the face islands. This has a toggle to randomize between min/max values.
Bevel Seg/Angle	This determines the number of bevel segments and angle threshold to consider a vertex for beveling.
Merge	Merge distance for bevel overlap.
Bevel Seed	Seed value to randomize the bevel parameters.
Material Index	The material to be used for the generated face island or panel cut detail. Using the default -1 will use the active material in the source mesh.
Merge Panel	This will merge the panel cut mesh to the source mesh (destructive).
Use Vertex Group	This will assign the top faces of the panel islands to a vertex group called “panel_cut_faces”. Can be used for easy selection by using Shift+G in vertex selection mode and using the Vertex Group option.
Boundary Edges	Only generate panel cuts from the boundary edges of a face selection.
Floater Mesh	This separates the panel cut as a separate mesh and turns off some Cycles visibility properties to make it look like it is a part of the mesh underneath in most viewing angles. It is better to use the “floater_inset” presets than starting raw with this toggle because you have to modify other settings to make it look correct.
Limited Dissolve	Limit dissolves the resulting panel cut mesh.
Max Angle	This only shows up when Limited Dissolve is enabled. This is the angle limit by which to limit dissolve the mesh.

A couple of version back, you have to mark sharp the edges you want as panel details then select the faces around them and use the add-on. This takes too much time so the automatic generation of the surrounding faces makes this more intuitive as shown in figure 1. This type is the only legacy option in the first iterations of the add-on and is created primarily to supply a more controlled result compared to the Random Panels in Random Flow that can only deal with randomized result (although now the add-on has ways around this, Panel Cutter is still the best when manually creating panel cut details).

In figure 4, when you have all the edges selected in the mesh, it will show a confirmation pop up asking if you want to continue with the operation. This is to avoid accidentally using the add-on on hires selections that could lead to Blender freezing up. You can still use presets with this and just press ok after selecting one. After confirming, you can use the F9 hotkey to bring up the redo panel again to modify the settings.

{% hint style="info" %} The edge walk function is shared with the Bevel type and functions exactly the same. {% endhint %} The edge walk function will select the edge loop of a selected edge or edges and turn them into panel cuts. It's a convenient way of making straight cuts and works optimally with a quad topology. The edge walk stops when it does a complete loop, in edges that are marked sharp, in vertices that are not connected to four edges and in terminator or non-manifold edges. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.blenderguppy.com/add-ons/panel-cutter/functions/inset.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.