STL

Overview

STL describes a 3D surface as an unordered set of triangles without color, texture, or units. Its simplicity makes it the universal handoff format for 3D printing, but richer scenes need formats like glTF or STEP.

Typical use cases

• 3D printing
• Simple mesh exchange
• Scanner output
• Rapid prototyping

Advantages

• Designed for 3d printing
• None storage
• Open specification
• Browser support: No native browser viewer

Disadvantages

• No color or texture
• No units
• Triangles only

How to open or use it

Open STL files with an application that supports model/stl. Editable in CAD and mesh tools with rebuilds. For delivery, use a viewer or converter that reads stl.