how to view *.stl

[kmeldfreyssinet]

Hi,

I had saved my part as stl file to send it for 3D printing. I would like to verify how it dose look like in stl before sending but I can't find a way to open stl in inventor.

Is there any?

Cris

[KevinLi-Autodesk]

Hi Cris,

What's version of Inventor you use ? (Inventor 2013 can open the .stl file)

You can also use "3D Print Preview" to check the stl file before sending it to 3D printing. (Refer to attached screenshot).

Regards,

Kevin Li

[JDMather]

If you are not using 2013 - somewhere there is an add-in for importing the stl into Inventor.

When you save the file make sure you set the correct Units in Options as Inventor will default to cm.

I believe the free Hoops ACIS Viewer will also open stl.

[bcrowell]

I'm sorry to bump an old thread but I didn't find anything else closely enough related- I'm trying to find more information about Inventor's exporting to stl files and 3D printing.  Is there any error checking that happens when you use the 3D print preview?

I have had widely varying success with printing to a Makerbot Replicator 2- some pieces have worked brilliantly and others failed completely, and several stages in between.  There has been ghost information (it seems like) in the stl file at times because it tried to print information that wasn't in the file (in multiple copies, the same geometric information).

[jfmDaveT]

That doesn't work on the new Autodesk Inventor 2017, I see it can do the conversion and the set of 3D printers used to convert, but don't seem to be able to open it 

Intel(R) Core(TM i7-3770 CPU @3.40GHz, 64 bit OS, x64 processor 

RAM: 16.0 GB

[JDMather]

You have pulled up an ancient thread.

Simply to File>Open Files of type: *.stl.

It is as simple as that.

There are a lot of other ways of viewing stl files at this time.

The real question is - what do you want to do with this?

[KevinLi-Autodesk]

Hi bcrowell,

Does JD's method work for you? If still not work, can you send an example .stl file to me via Hongyuan.li@autodesk.com ? I will investigate it deeply.

Regards,

[jfmDaveT]

I tried uploading an image onto the model it can. I talked to a guy that knows about 3D printing, he says the detail is too small for it to print unless it possibly made  monochromatically or that the image has to be more like a symbol engraved 

Also uploading the file onto here is an issue as it does accept 3D printing formats 

[mcgyvr]

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@jfmDaveT wrote:

I tried uploading an image onto the model it can. I talked to a guy that knows about 3D printing, he says the detail is too small for it to print unless it possibly made  monochromatically or that the image has to be more like a symbol engraved 

Also uploading the file onto here is an issue as it does accept 3D printing formats 

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If you want to upload a filetype here that isn't supported simply zip the file.. (In Windows you can just right click on it and send to--compressed folder..

Then upload that..

As to an image on a 3d file.. Its very possible that the detail is too small.. Are you aware of the resolutions you printer can do? Just think about the thickness of the string that it uses.. You can't have any details smaller than that (for the most part).. So yes an image would likely be too detailed to print..

Try to upload what you want again now that you know it can be zipped/uploaded..

But just like designing any part for any fabrication method (milling/stamping/additive/modling) you need to know the capabilities of the machine during the design..

There is this "buzzword" thats been going around for a while that just makes me mad.. "design for manufacturing (manufacturability)".. For the most part magazine articles,etc... about it show how an Engineer designed a part and then during the "design for manufacturability" meeting they redesigned the part to remove X or whatever.. What makes me mad about that is that IMO its the Engineers/Designers job from the start to produce a part that can be manufactured as "efficiently/cost effectively" as possible.. 

Waiting till its already designed then making sure it can actually be built is just stupid.. 

I'll put any new designer/Engineer out on the factory floor for weeks/months before they are allowed to "design" anything.. 

[bcrowell]

Opening the stl files is not the issue.  

I was wondering if there was any error checking or check on printability when you ran the 3D print preview or if it just previewed the model with the printed layers visualized.  I have had several files that I have printed that seemed to have ghost information because they printed with errors that were consistent but not from geometry created in the model.  

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@Anonymous wrote:

You have pulled up an ancient thread.

Simply to File>Open Files of type: *.stl.

It is as simple as that.

There are a lot of other ways of viewing stl files at this time.

The real question is - what do you want to do with this?

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[JDMather]

Sorry, I was confused by the thread title. 

Perhaps you should start a new thread.

What version of Inventor are you using?

Can you attach *.ipt and *.stl that exhibits the behavior you describe.

I have not experimented with the new 3D Print tools in Inventor as my various printers have their own softwares for stl model checking.  This might be a good oppotunity to take a close look at the Inventor 3D Print tools.

[mcgyvr]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Opening the stl files is not the issue.  

I was wondering if there was any error checking or check on printability when you ran the 3D print preview or if it just previewed the model with the printed layers visualized.    

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Sure layer by layer preview is built into the software that comes with your makerbot.. 

And this is also available in Inventor.. When your part is ready simply go to "environments...3d print" then in there you can generate the stl file and also hit the "Print Studio" button.. Then in "Print Studio" there is a "preview" button which will generate the layers (after you set it up for your printer) and you can preview the layers there too.. You can even send the file right to your makerbot via Print Studio..

[jfmDaveT]

Well I think that's the idea, but I think it should be done as a Lossy Compression, as read in wikipedia. I don't think compressing it as a compressed file works, since Inventor needs to read the file not as a folder, I don't know I haven't tried. But even then your right about of how the capability of the 3D printer should be considered, because of the detail. 

P.S I also posted it on quora Can inventor import images as lossy compression?

But I still don't know if it works this way

[JDMather]

Why are you attempting to put an image file onto an stl file?

Can you zip and attach your image file and your stl file here?
And when you do attach your files - I recommend that you start a new thread as this thread is not related to your problem description.

I think you will get fast and accurate information on your problem right here.