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STL
Access: Open this function from one of the following locations:
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Click the
or
button from the toolbar. -
Select File > Import > Import to New File or Import to Current File from the menu bar.
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Select File > Export > Export or Export by Pick from the menu bar.
When the Import or Export dialog is displayed, select STL from the Files of Type field.
Import and export files in the STL format (*.stl) to/from Cimatron.
For a summary of the Data Interface Import/Export formats supported by Cimatron (including their CAD version numbers), see Cimatron's Import/Export Capabilities at a Glance.
Cimatron retains the settings of the data interface (Import/Export) dialog from its last use, including the menu state (expanded or collapsed) and the tab that was opened.
STL (STereoLithography or Stereo-lithography tessellation language) is a file format created by 3D Systems and widely used for 3D Printing (or Addictive Manufacturing) processes. These are various computer controlled processes used to make a 3D object by adding successive layers of material. These 3D objects can be of almost any shape or geometry and are produced from a 3D model. Regardless of how the 3D model was created (by a CAD system, 3D scanner, etc), it is then converted to a STL format to enable the printing software to be able to read it.
The STL format uses triangular facets to approximate the shape of an object. The surface geometry of the object is constructed of triangular facets, with each triangle uniquely defined by its normal and three points representing its vertices. The STL file contains all the XYZ coordinates of the vertices and normals for the triangles that describe the 3D object.
A Facet is typically a flat three or four-sided polygon that represents an element of a 3D polygonal mesh surface or model. Multiple facets create a series of planer regions on the mesh surface or model. In Cimatron, facets are usually triangular.
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