STLs were originally developed by 3D Systems specifically for additive manufacturing and are widely known as the industry standard. Binary: compressed file, which is better for saving and sharing.ASCII: large files size and not recommended.Hence, why this is the third best choice for 3D printing files. Main thing to know about this file type is it’s an older, unsupported specification so it will never be updated or changed. It was later adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This file type was created by the US Air Force and was used for exchanging CAD geometry. STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data).STL (Stereolithography or Standard Tessellation Language).IGES or IGS (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification).There are 3 main file types used in 3D printing: Now let’s dive into how you can prepare and export your CAD models for 3D printing and which file types we recommend.
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Pro Tip: If you’re looking for an in depth read about mesh modeling vs solid modeling, check out this article. Just as a pixel image (.PNG) approximates a vector file (.AI), when converting a parametric model to a mesh model, a mesh file (.STL) approximates a parametric file (.STEP).
DXF) while a mesh model is most similar to a pixel image (.PNG. If you compare these two types of models to a 2D image file, a parametric model is like a vector file (.AI. A mesh model, on the other hand, is a collection of small triangles that make up a surface. One very basic way to distinguish between CAD models types is by breaking it into these two groups:Ī parametric model is one which consists of solid blocks or vectors that have both magnitude and direction. This post will help you understand the difference between these file types, and which file is best for uploading to a 3D printer or 3D printing service.īefore we review the steps for CAD file preparation for 3D printing, here’s a brief overview of different CAD model types.
From STEP files, to STL files, to IGES, and more, it can be difficult to differentiate between them all. There are a lot of CAD (computer-aided design) file types out there, each with their own names, formats, and parameters.
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