mne_convert_surface
Overview
mne_convert_surface converts surface meshes between multiple formats: FIFF/BEM, Triangle (.tri), Surface Mesh Format (.smf), and FreeSurfer surfaces.
This is a C++ port of the original MNE-C tool by Matti Hämäläinen.
Usage
mne_convert_surface [options]
Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--tri <file> | Input/output Triangle format surface (.tri) |
--smf <file> | Input/output Surface Mesh Format file (.smf) |
--fif <file> | Input/output FIFF BEM surface file |
--surf <file> | Input/output FreeSurfer surface file |
--meters | Coordinates are in meters (default: millimeters) |
--swap | Swap triangle vertex ordering |
--help | Print help |
--version | Print version |
Specify one input and one output using different format flags.
Description
This utility converts between the surface mesh formats commonly used in MEG/EEG source analysis:
- FIFF BEM — Standard MNE BEM surface format
- Triangle (.tri) — Simple ASCII format with vertex and triangle lists
- SMF (.smf) — Surface Mesh Format
- FreeSurfer — Native FreeSurfer surface binary format
The tool handles vertex coordinates and triangle connectivity, with optional coordinate scaling and vertex order swapping.
Example
# Convert FreeSurfer surface to FIFF BEM
mne_convert_surface --surf lh.inner_skull --fif inner_skull.fif
# Convert FIFF BEM to Triangle format
mne_convert_surface --fif bem.fif --tri surface.tri