The View - Messages menu command appears when a message is pending, indicated by a red message icon in the lower tab of an opened component window. The Messages dialog provides the message and usually will offer some means of resolving a problem.
For example, blank drawings showing a message icon usually indicate lack of a spatial index, which Manifold will offer to build for us on a temporary basis. To add a spatial index to a table see the Example: Add a Spatial Index to a Table topic.
Blank images showing a message icon usually indicate a need to build or update indexes or intermediate levels, which Manifold will offer to do for us.