What object component would you use to manipulate a Mesh’s properties?

Using a Mesh Filter is essential for manipulating a Mesh's properties because this component is specifically designed to hold the reference to the Mesh that will be displayed and rendered in the scene. When you attach a Mesh Filter to a GameObject, you can assign a Mesh to it, allowing Unity to understand which geometric data to use for rendering.

The Mesh Filter is fundamental in defining what shape the object will take. It provides the necessary link between the Mesh data and the rendering components in Unity. This means that if you want to change the geometry of an object, you would typically do so by modifying the Mesh assigned to the Mesh Filter.

In contrast, the other components mentioned serve different purposes. For example, the Mesh Renderer is responsible for rendering the Mesh to the screen but does not alter the Mesh's properties directly. The Mesh Collider allows for physical interactions and collision detection based on the shape of the Mesh but does not provide a way to manipulate the Mesh itself. The Transform component controls the position, rotation, and scale of a GameObject in the Unity scene but does not relate to the properties of the Mesh directly. Therefore, the Mesh Filter is the correct choice for manipulating a Mesh's properties within Unity.