diff --git a/apps/solidcraft-cli/src/main.rs b/apps/solidcraft-cli/src/main.rs
index 584c45d0..59bf178a 100644
--- a/apps/solidcraft-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/apps/solidcraft-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -431,6 +431,8 @@ fn cmd_bench_open(args: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
     }
     let t = std::time::Instant::now();
     let st = s.world_state();
+    // As the desktop app prepares a design it opened.
+    st.warm_meshes(|| true);
     let triangles: usize = st.bodies.iter().map(|b| b.mesh().triangles.len()).sum();
     println!("{}", json!({"step": "mesh", "ms": t.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0, "bodies": st.bodies.len(), "triangles": triangles}));
     Ok(())
diff --git a/crates/doc/src/eval.rs b/crates/doc/src/eval.rs
index 1ab8c824..fc31eb75 100644
--- a/crates/doc/src/eval.rs
+++ b/crates/doc/src/eval.rs
@@ -619,6 +619,17 @@ impl ModelState {
     pub fn body(&self, name: &str) -> Option<&ModelBody> {
         self.bodies.iter().find(|b| b.name == name)
     }
+
+    /// Make every body's display mesh now, on all cores (bodies are meshed independently and
+    /// each keeps its own mesh, so the meshes are those `ModelBody::mesh` makes one by one).
+    /// Stops starting bodies once `go_on` says no.
+    pub fn warm_meshes(&self, go_on: impl Fn() -> bool + Sync) {
+        kernel::for_each_on_threads(&self.bodies, 16, |b| {
+            if go_on() {
+                let _ = b.mesh();
+            }
+        });
+    }
     pub fn sketch(&self, feature: u64) -> Option<&SolvedSketch> {
         self.sketches.iter().find(|s| s.feature == feature).map(|s| &**s)
     }
diff --git a/crates/doc/src/name_lookup.rs b/crates/doc/src/name_lookup.rs
index 3b516391..0e0aae2a 100644
--- a/crates/doc/src/name_lookup.rs
+++ b/crates/doc/src/name_lookup.rs
@@ -260,6 +260,14 @@ impl EdgeHit {
 /// answering to it (merged into it, or the named piece told apart by the faces around it); else
 /// the piece of it nearest `p` (`split`).
 pub fn locate_face(st: &ModelState, name: &str, p: Vec3) -> Option<FaceHit> {
+    // Every body's names are read below: work out the ones not known yet on all cores first
+    // (each body's names are its own, whichever thread works them out).
+    if legacy_name(name).is_none() {
+        let bodies: Vec<&ModelBody> = st.bodies.iter().filter(|b| !b.body.is_mesh()).collect();
+        solidcraft_kernel::for_each_on_threads(&bodies, 16, |b| {
+            let _ = naming::names(b);
+        });
+    }
     locate_in(st.bodies.iter().enumerate().filter(|(_, b)| !b.body.is_mesh()), name, p)
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/cmd/inspect.rs b/crates/engine/src/cmd/inspect.rs
index 44e2a296..c68d1043 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/cmd/inspect.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/cmd/inspect.rs
@@ -66,7 +66,12 @@ fn measure(s: &mut Session, p: &Value) -> Result<Value> {
     let want = string_list(p, "bodies");
     let st = s.world_state();
     let selected: Vec<_> = st.bodies.iter().filter(|b| want.is_empty() || want.contains(&b.name)).collect();
-    let mut bodies: Vec<Value> = selected.iter().map(|b| measure_json(b)).collect();
+    // Each body is measured on its own: on all cores, in body order.
+    let mut bodies: Vec<Value> = solidcraft_kernel::map_on_threads(&selected, 16, |b| measure_json(b))
+        .into_iter()
+        .zip(&selected)
+        .map(|(m, b)| m.unwrap_or_else(|| json!({"name": b.name, "error": "measuring this body failed"})))
+        .collect();
     // Mass from each body's material.
     for (b, body) in bodies.iter_mut().zip(selected) {
         if let Some(v) = b["volume_mm3"].as_f64() {
diff --git a/crates/kernel/src/lib.rs b/crates/kernel/src/lib.rs
index 9ff27e2c..2818b3f0 100644
--- a/crates/kernel/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/kernel/src/lib.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ mod numbered;
 mod offset;
 mod ops;
 mod par;
+pub use par::{for_each_on_threads, map_on_threads};
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod pinch_tests;
 mod plane_fit;
diff --git a/crates/kernel/src/par.rs b/crates/kernel/src/par.rs
index b0f281c8..5e08be76 100644
--- a/crates/kernel/src/par.rs
+++ b/crates/kernel/src/par.rs
@@ -22,11 +22,90 @@ pub(crate) fn map<T: Sync, R: Send>(what: &'static str, items: &[T], parallel: b
     items.iter().map(one).collect()
 }
 
+/// Run `f` on every item, spread over plain threads (one per core, at most `max_threads`),
+/// each pulling the next item; on the calling thread in the browser build or when threads
+/// cannot be started. Each call runs under [`crate::guard`] (a panic is that item's loss).
+///
+/// Plain threads rather than the worker pool: an item may wait on a lazily filled cell that
+/// another item is filling, and a pool worker that picked up a second item while it waited
+/// inside its own item's parallel work could wait on itself.
+pub fn for_each_on_threads<T: Sync>(items: &[T], max_threads: usize, f: impl Fn(&T) + Sync) {
+    let _ = map_on_threads(items, max_threads, f);
+}
+
+/// `f` over `items` as [`for_each_on_threads`] runs it, results in item order (`None` where an
+/// item panicked).
+pub fn map_on_threads<T: Sync, R: Send>(items: &[T], max_threads: usize, f: impl Fn(&T) -> R + Sync) -> Vec<Option<R>> {
+    let one = |item: &T| guard("parallel item", || Ok(f(item))).ok();
+    #[cfg(not(target_arch = "wasm32"))]
+    {
+        use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+        let threads = std::thread::available_parallelism().map(usize::from).unwrap_or(1).min(max_threads).min(items.len());
+        if threads > 1 {
+            let next = AtomicUsize::new(0);
+            let work = || {
+                let mut done = Vec::new();
+                loop {
+                    let i = next.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                    let Some(item) = items.get(i) else { break };
+                    done.push((i, one(item)));
+                }
+                done
+            };
+            let mut out: Vec<Option<R>> = std::iter::repeat_with(|| None).take(items.len()).collect();
+            std::thread::scope(|scope| {
+                // A thread that cannot start leaves its share to the others.
+                let helpers: Vec<_> =
+                    (1..threads).filter_map(|_| std::thread::Builder::new().name("solidcraft-each".into()).spawn_scoped(scope, work).ok()).collect();
+                let mut all = work();
+                for h in helpers {
+                    // `work` never panics (every item runs under the guard).
+                    if let Ok(done) = h.join() {
+                        all.extend(done);
+                    }
+                }
+                for (i, r) in all {
+                    if let Some(slot) = out.get_mut(i) {
+                        *slot = r;
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+            return out;
+        }
+    }
+    let _ = max_threads;
+    items.iter().map(one).collect()
+}
+
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use crate::KernelError;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn each_item_once_on_threads() {
+        let items: Vec<u32> = (0..1000).collect();
+        let seen: Vec<std::sync::atomic::AtomicU32> = (0..1000).map(|_| std::sync::atomic::AtomicU32::new(0)).collect();
+        for_each_on_threads(&items, 8, |x| {
+            seen[*x as usize].fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
+            assert!(*x != 500, "a panicking item is that item's loss");
+        });
+        assert!(seen.iter().all(|s| s.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed) == 1));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn map_on_threads_keeps_order() {
+        let items: Vec<u32> = (0..1000).collect();
+        let out = map_on_threads(&items, 8, |x| {
+            assert!(*x != 7, "a panicking item is that item's loss");
+            x * 3
+        });
+        assert_eq!(out.len(), 1000);
+        for (i, r) in out.iter().enumerate() {
+            assert_eq!(*r, (i != 7).then_some(3 * i as u32));
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn keeps_order_and_errors() {
         let items: Vec<u32> = (0..1000).collect();
diff --git a/crates/ui-egui/src/file_load.rs b/crates/ui-egui/src/file_load.rs
index ad490c2e..4e4b5eb7 100644
--- a/crates/ui-egui/src/file_load.rs
+++ b/crates/ui-egui/src/file_load.rs
@@ -370,11 +370,9 @@ fn compute(mut session: Session, command: &str, params: &Value, thumbnail: bool,
     let placement_ms = view_began.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0;
     let mesh_began = std::time::Instant::now();
     // Fit, picking and the first viewport frame must not trigger cold tessellation on the UI.
-    for b in &world.bodies {
-        if progress.is_cancelled() {
-            return cancelled();
-        }
-        let _ = b.mesh();
+    world.warm_meshes(|| !progress.is_cancelled());
+    if progress.is_cancelled() {
+        return cancelled();
     }
     let tessellation_ms = mesh_began.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 1000.0;
     phase.store(2, Ordering::Relaxed);