The best (free!) tool for splitting a STL model into separate items is Meshmixer. You might not want to print everything a person has put in their STL - maybe you just need one part, or you want to print the pieces one at a time. Sometimes the issue with your STL file is that it contains more than one model. There are plenty of STL-only 3d designs out there, after all. blend files he uses to generate the STLs - modifying these instead will save you a lot of time! But just for the sake of this guide, let's consider that not to be an option. As a side note, if you're a Blender whiz and subscribe to his Patreon, you can get the. DM Workshop's models are very, very good, but I find that a lot of them could use some additional optimization for 3d printing. The workflow for editing STL files can be somewhat painful, but with the tips and tricks in this article, you'll be well on your way to becoming an STL editing pro!Īs an example in this article, I'm going to use DM Workshop's Chief Guh which you can download free from Shapeways. And we've all been in a situation where a STL is just too big for the printer, or is difficult to print in just one piece. Nothing hurts more than getting a STL file that is pretty darn good, but just needs a few tweaks.

STL is basically the PDF of the 3d printer world. These files are great for slicing, but they're not so great for editing. The most popular format on the internet for 3d printed objects is the humble STL file.

Simplify 3d break apart models