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RepRapBCN
User Manual
5. ‘.STL’ FILES
The backbone of BCN3DR printing are the 3D model files.
The most commonly file type found is the *.STL format. An STL file describes a raw unstructured triangulated surfa-
ce. The smaller the triangles are, the bigger the resolution and the detail of the 3D model.
Obtaining STL files
There are three different methods:
1) Own design: The users create their own objects with a Computer-aided design best suited for people with pre-
vious knowledge in modeling.
A wide range of available programs exist, some of them free (OpenSCAD, FreeCAD, Blender), while others requiere a
software license (SolidWorks, Rhinoceros, Inventor, etc.). In general terms, all of them allow the user to import/ex-
port STL files.
2) Download: Nowadays there are lots of online repositories where people share their own models with the rest of
the community. As an example, the following ones are mentioned:
•
www.grabcad.com –
Repository specialized in engineering, design and architecture models. Not always in STL
format but in the original format used by the creator.
•
www.thingiverse.com
– Repository marketed by MakerBot, contains a great deal of STL models and customiza-
tion tools.
Summary of Contents for BCN3DR
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