STL (.stl)

  • Import and Export fully support the STL file format.

    • Background

      ▪ MIME type: application/sla
      ▪ STL computer-aided design and manufacturing format.
      ▪ 3D geometry format.
      ▪ Commonly used for representing solid models in rapid prototyping systems.
      ▪ Native format of the 3D Systems stereolithography CAD software.
      ▪ Developed in 1989 by 3D Systems, Inc.
      ▪ STL is an acronym derived from stereolithography.
      ▪ ASCII or binary format.
      ▪ Stores a 3D object, including solid, as a surface formed by a collection of adjacent triangles.

    Import and Export

    • Import["file.stl"] imports an STL file as a MeshRegion object representing the surface.
    • Import["file.stl",elem] imports the specified element from an STL file.
    • The import format can be specified with Import["file","STL"] or Import["file",{"STL",elem,…}].
    • Export["file.stl",expr] exports a 3D mesh-based geometric region to a binary STL file. The expr can be any region that is ConstantRegionQ or a Graphics or Graphics3D object.
    • The export format can be specified with Export["file",expr,"STL"] or Export["file",expr,{"STL",opt1->val1,…}].
    • See the reference pages for full general information on Import and Export.
    • ImportString and ExportString support the STL format.

    Elements

    • General Import elements:
    • "Elements"list of elements available in this file
      "Rules"list of rules for each element
      "Options"list of options and settings
      "Summary"summary of properties
      "CoordinateTransform"transformation function from STL format
    • Data format representation elements:
    • "BinaryFormat"whether the file is a binary or ASCII STL
      "Comments"comments
      "VertexData"list of vertex coordinates
      "PolygonData"list of polygon elements in indexed form
      "PolygonCount"number of polygons
    • Geometry representation elements:
    • "BoundaryMeshRegion"boundary mesh representation of a solid
      "MeshRegion"mesh representation of a surface
    • Graphics representation elements:
    • "Graphics3D"STL file represented as a Graphics3D object
      "GraphicsComplex"STL file as a GraphicsComplex object
      "PolygonObjects"list of polygon primitives in absolute coordinates
    • Import and Export use the "MeshRegion" element by default for STL files.

    Options

    • Export options:
    • "BinaryFormat"Truewhether to write a binary or ASCII file

    Examples

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    Basic Examples  (2)

    Import a 3D model from STL as a MeshRegion object:

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    Out[1]=

    Summary properties of the solid model:

    In[2]:=
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    Out[2]=

    Export a 3D model to an ASCII STL file:

    In[1]:=
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    Out[1]=

    Print the raw textual contents of the file:

    In[2]:=
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    Scope  (13)

    Import Elements  (12)

    Export Options  (2)

    See Also

    "3DS"  "BYU"  "JVX"  "LWO"  "Maya"  "NOFF"  "OBJ"  "OFF"  "PLY"  "POV"  "RIB"  "VRML"  "X3D"  "ZPR"

    Tutorials

    Introduced in 2000
    (4.1)
    | Updated in 2015
    (10.2)