This means that your model (the whole scene with a configuration) can be easily saved and shared with others, saving a huge chunk of time, because you don’t have to go through the pre-slicing setup every time you import the model. In short, this file can hold pretty much all information about the model (scene) including the individual configuration made in your slicer. Where STL would make a copy of every triangle for every copy of a mesh, 3MF simply notes that this object has a new instance and saves its location. Single objects can be referenced or moved without changing the mesh, and multiple identical objects can be placed referencing the same mesh. This helps to prevent errors in printed models.

Thumbnail (Can be changed to a photorealistic render, for example)įurthermore, 3MF provides a clear definition of manifoldness - it’s impossible to create a 3MF file with non-manifold edges, and there is no ambiguity for models with self-intersections.

Scene units (STL objects are proportionless).

Aside from the 3D model itself, 3MF files can hold: zip, simply unpack it and work with the contents. The 3MF file format uses the same compression as a ZIP archive – you can actually rename the extension to. The 3MF consortium’s main goal is to create an XML-based platform capable of containing a 3D model with a comprehensive package of information that cannot be saved within a simple STL file. Nowadays, it includes well-known names such as Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, Ultimaker and more (see 3mf.io to find out more).

3MF, also called 3D Manufacturing Format is an open-source project developed by the 3MF consortium founded by Microsoft.

Free 3d printer gcode files