We can’t print a model better than the STL, so it is always good to check the options before saving the model, and verify the STL looks good before processing. This is the max difference allowed between the faceted surface and the SOLIDWORKS Model. The default in SOLIDWORKS is 10° so I leave this alone.īelow is a small example explaining the Deviation (chordal tolerance) and the Angular tolerance. Stratasys recommends an angle tolerance of 5-10°. The bigger the file the longer it takes to process in the 3D Printer software. The files tend to grow very fast when you get down much smaller than that. 0005″ which is a touch smaller than they recommend. 001″-.012″ I generally set the resolution to Custom and use. Stratasys recommends a Deviation tolerance of.
#EDRAWINGS 2017 STL SOFTWARE#
If the parts come in really big or small, the software will ask you to confirm.ģ. How to convert STL to PNG in eDrawings Viewer: First, open and view an STL model in it. It is basically a 3D file viewer that can also be used to convert STL to PNG and some other file formats such as JPG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, etc. When we bring the model into our 3D Printing software, we’ll need to specify the units used. eDrawings Viewer is another free STL to PNG converter software for Windows. SOLIDWORKS will output in the specified units, no matter what unit we use in our model. Use the Binary option to save disk space, it reduces the file size by a ratio of 6:1.Ģ. Quick Tips when setting up your STL Outputġ. Clicking this options button shows you all the settings we can change regarding the STL File itself. Once the STL file type has been selected you’ll notice an options button appears. All major CAD packages can save or export in the STL format, including SOLIDWORKS. Currently, the industry standard file format for 3D Printing is the STL (Standard Tessellation Language) file. This saves time and bypasses the need to worry about file conversions.ĬAD comes into play when we think about what we need to print. However, if you don’t need to make high level changes to toolpaths, like you might see in Insight, you can open native CAD files (including SOLIDWORKS Parts and Assemblies) within a software package called GrabCAD print. Happy new year! This information is borrowed from a blog post I wrote a couple years ago, it still holds true if your intent is to end up with a printable STL from SOLIDWORKS.