STL file Viewers

Sometimes you might want to get a quick view of an .stl file before you import the file into slicer software.  One of the best, free, downloadable programs is Meshlab.  You can download from here: http://www.meshlab.net/  Meshlab also provides a number of tools for editing the .stl file and there are several file export options.  It's well worth spending time learning the program since you can do so much with it.

There are also free, easy-to-use .stl viewer apps for phones and chromebooks.


Meshlab screen capture

Scanned Dipterocarp seed

The Qlone phone scanner produces a .stl image most people will use for 3D printing.  But there are many other uses for Qlone ouput.

This seed was scanned using the Qlone scanner, then saved as an .stl file and also saved as an animated gif file.  The .stl file was uploaded to the Sketchfab program, where the .html code was generated, then copied into this Blogger page.  The first image is the Sketchfab .html code file and the second image is a screen caputre from the the Qlone animated .gif file, copied and pasted into this Blogger page.

Qlone also gives you the option to create an AR version of the object, which can be "placed" on a floor or table top and re-sized and manipulated.  The third image (video) shows the scanned dipterocarp seed placed on the floor, rotated, and enlared.  When you open the AR image, you will see a button to start video recording - pressing this button a second time stops recording.  I then copied this video from my phone into my Google Drive, and then used the Blogger editor to copy te video into this page.

Dipterocarp1 by GeorgeMeadows on Sketchfab