As you can see in the image, even for this simple case, the conversion is not perfect. Both STL and STEP are fairly common CAD/3D model formats and well supported in many programs, so it should be not hard to find one that can perform stl to step conversion.
Step to stl converter software#
We have found 16 software records in our database eligible for. Alibre is an inexpensive parametric modeler that included a mesh to parametric converter through the 2018 version. Convert Stereolithography CAD data to ISO-10303 STEP product data file. You can, however, convert to STL as it is not a CAD file format as almost everyone believes.
See the image below that shows a rectangular solid with a cylindrical hole in it in Blender and Alibre. As the 1 question I get 3+ times every day for 18 years, you cant 'convert' from a mesh-based program into NUBRS geometry for STEP and IGES output. Smoothing is an algorithm that uses the normals of adjacent faces to present a smoother view, effectively hiding the sharp edges between faces.Īlthough conversion from a mesh to a parametric solid (so it could be exported as a STEP file) may not be possible in general, it can be done for simple cases. By comparison, for a mesh sphere, if you zoom in far enough, the faces will be visible–if smoothing is off. No matter how far you zoom in, it will always be displayed as a smooth sphere. A sphere in a parametric modeler like SolidWorks is a mathematical construct that defines its diameter. A sphere in a mesh modeler like Blender is composed of many triangular polygons enclosing a spherical volume. As an example for a very simple case, consider a sphere. These are composed of mathematically defined features. By comparison, programs like SolidWorks, Creo, Inventor, etc. The meshes are infinitely thin surfaces that completely enclose the mesh object. The issue is programs like Blender, Maya, etc. STEP files are used to import/export parametric models and assemblies. I don’t believe you will find software that can create a STEP file from a mesh for the general case.