ShapeReach View / STL
A free STL viewer in your browser.
Open STL files right in your browser, and see the model’s size, volume and surface area before you print it. Nothing to install, no account, and the file stays on your own computer.
- .stl
About the STL format
STL is the most widely used format for 3D printing. Almost every CAD program can save as STL, and every slicer can read it.
An STL file describes only the surface as a mesh of triangles, without colours, materials or unit. The file can be saved as text (ASCII) or binary, and the viewer reads both.
What the viewer shows
- The model as a triangle mesh, with or without the triangles’ edges
- The size in x, y and z
- Volume and surface area
- Sections through the model and measuring between points
How to open an STL file
Open the viewer
Press “Open an STL file”. The viewer opens with a sample assembly.
Pick the file
Press Open and choose the file, or drag the file into the viewer.
View and measure
Rotate with the mouse, and use Section and Measure for sections and measurements.
Good to know
STL stores no unit. Pick the unit at the bottom right of the viewer, so measurements and volume are right.
Volume is only correct when the mesh is closed (watertight). If the mesh has holes, the number may be wrong.
Very fine meshes are shown without the triangles’ edges, so the model can still be seen clearly.
Questions and answers
Is the STL file in millimetres or inches?
The file does not say. Most programs save STL in millimetres. If the model looks 25.4 times too small, it is probably in inches, and you can pick inches at the bottom right.
Can I see how much material the print will use?
The viewer shows the model’s volume. How much material the print uses also depends on the slicer’s infill and wall settings.
Other formats
ShapeReach View also opens these formats and several more.
Names of programs and file formats belong to their owners. ShapeReach View is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.