Skip to content
SolidPrompt
All guides

Guides

Export a model for 3D printing

Choose between 3MF, STL, OBJ, STEP, SVG and editable SKF, export only the parts you need and open the file in your slicer.

Screenshots show the English interface.

  1. Keep an editable copy

    Projects are stored in this browser. Open Export, choose SKF and click Save SketchForge Project. SKF always contains the full project; Saved action history sets how many undo steps travel with it: Unlimited, 100, 50 or 30. Reopen it with Import and Open SketchForge Project.

    Export panel with SKF selected, the Saved action history slider and the Save SketchForge Project button
    Fig. 01SKF keeps the editable project.

  2. Choose what to export

    With nothing selected, the file contains every solid and the badge next to Format shows the count with total. Select shapes first to export only those; the badge then shows selected. Shapes set to Hole are never exported on their own, so cut them into a solid with Boolean Cut first.

    Export panel with the file name field, the STL format selected and a badge reading 1 total
    Fig. 02File name, format and export scope.

  3. Pick the format

    For printing, use 3MF if your slicer opens it, otherwise STL. Type a name in File name; the extension is added for the chosen format. The list below describes each option.

    Export panel with 3MF selected and its description: physical units, object names and colors
    Fig. 033MF stores units, object names and colors.

  4. Download the file

    Click the export button at the bottom of the panel. SolidPrompt does not send jobs to a printer: your browser saves the file like any other download.

  5. Check it in your slicer

    Open the file in your slicer and check the size first: the bracket from the first guide should measure 60 x 40 x 40 mm. Place its largest flat face on the build plate, choose your printer, material and supports as usual, then inspect the layer preview.

Formats

3MF
Print package with millimetre units, object names and colors. Parts arrive upright, as modeled.
STL
Triangle mesh without units; the numbers are millimetres. The editor axes are kept, so many slicers show the part rotated by 90 degrees.
OBJ
Mesh for other 3D programs, with the same units and axes as STL.
STEP
Exact CAD geometry for supported boxes, cylinders, spheres and cones. Not available for shapes with a surface texture.
SVG
Top-view outline in millimetres, including holes, for laser cutting or drawings.
SKF
The editable SolidPrompt project with sketches, groups, imported sources and undo history.

Check the result

If the file contains extra parts, return to SolidPrompt and select only the intended solids. If an STL opens at the wrong size, set the slicer import unit to millimetres.

If something goes wrong

The export button is disabled
There is no solid in the export scope. Clear the selection or select at least one solid.
The part appears rotated in the slicer
STL and OBJ keep the editor axes, where Y points up. Use the lay-flat or rotate tool in your slicer, or export 3MF.
Round edges look faceted
Meshes approximate curves with flat triangles. A Cylinder uses 96 Sides by default; raise the value before export for smoother holes.

More guides

Create an L-bracket with a screw hole

Model a 60 x 40 x 40 mm L-bracket with 4 mm walls and a 5 mm screw hole from two boxes and a cylinder, then save and export it.

Read guide

Edit an STL: lay it flat and add a hole

Import an STL, check its size in millimetres, lay it flat, inspect the mesh, cut a 4 mm hole and resize it evenly. Practice with the included plate.

Read guide
Export a model for 3D printing | SolidPrompt