Before formally introducing the four software that can be used to convert STL to STP, let’s first understand what STL and STP files are.
The STL file is a standard format for 3D printing. It represents the surface geometry of an object through a triangular mesh, which is why it is called a patch file. It contains no physical or technical data of the object, making complex secondary editing difficult. In contrast, STP files store detailed geometric and engineering data about an object, including structure, dimensions, and material properties. They can be opened in common CAD software and constitute a universal format.
The main advantage of an STP file is that it is easier to edit because it is designed to support CAD editing. Therefore, our goal is to convert the STL model to standard model data formats such as STP, STEP, IGES, etc., so that it can be imported into commonly used CAD software (such as UG, SolidWorks, Catia, etc.) solid form for Boolean operations, deep editing such as drilling, slicing or finite element analysis.
Recommended Software #1: Fusion 360
Step 1: Import the STL file
1.1 Open Fusion 360 software.
1.2 In the top menu bar, click “Insert” > “Insert Grid”.
1.3 Select the STL file to import, select the unit in the pop-up dialog box and click “Finish” after setting.
Step 2: Convert STL to Features
2.1 After importing the STL file, click “Mesh” > “Modify” > “Convert Mesh”.
2.2 In the pop-up window, click the entity to convert, select “Basic Features”, then click “OK”.
If the software cannot automatically determine how to merge the faces during the conversion process, you can use the “Generate Quilt Group” tool to help you arrange the mesh faces before conversion.
Step 3: Export to STP file
3.1 After finishing the mesh conversion, select the model and click “File” > “Export”.
3.2 In the export options, select the “STEP” format (.stp or .step) and click “Save”.
Recommended software #2: FreeCAD
Here are free alternatives to converting STL files to STP files using FreeCAD:
Step 1: Import the STL file
1.1 Open the FreeCAD software.
1.2 Click “File” > “Open” and select the STL file to import.
Step 2: View and prepare the model
2.1 After opening the file, make sure “Tree View” is enabled. You can open it by clicking View > Panels > Tree.
2.2 Make sure the “Parts” workspace is selected in the drop-down menu at the top middle of the FreeCAD interface.
Step 3: Create Shapes from a Mesh
3.1 In the “tree”, find and select the STL file you just imported.
3.2 Click on “Part” > “Create a shape from a mesh”.
3.3 In the pop-up window, keep the default “Seam Tolerance” as 0.1, then click “OK”.
Step 4: Export to STP File
4.1 Go to File > Export.
4.2 Select the STEP format (.stp or .step) and save the file.
The above conversion is carried out via relatively professional software. In fact, there are also simple software programs that can do this job as well.
Recommended software #3: STL2STP (trial version)
This software was found through Baidu’s search for “STL to STP” software, and it is the most commonly used. After testing, we found that the software can convert normally, but there is a limit. The converted template file cannot exceed 500 KB. Since it is a trial version, if you need to remove the restrictions, the cost is 30 yuan and it can only be used on one computer. We tested it after purchase and found that the conversion success rate is high. However, if the template is larger, the conversion time will be longer and the file will be larger than the original file. How to use the software is as follows:
- Open STL2STP software and “File-Import-STL” or click the toolbar icon to import the STL model to convert.
- Rotation: CTRL+right mouse; Pan: SHIFT+right mouse; Zoom: mouse wheel. On the right side of the interface, you can see basic information such as the number of triangular patches, the number of vertices and the number of edges.
- File-Export-STEP” or click the toolbar icon, select the STP file path and file type (STP or STEP) to save, click OK and wait for a while to convert stl format in please format.
Recommended software #4: STL2STP (free version)
In order to make more people get started easily, we hope to find a convenient and free STL to STP converter software. Because if we just convert formats, we don’t want to install Fusion 360 or FreeCAD separately. After our efforts, we finally found a good software. The functions and even the name are similar to software #3. The operation is very simple. It supports one-click template import and automatic conversion. the default root directory.
The most important thing is that this software does not limit the size of the model and can be used at will.
