File extension STL

File type Stereolithography Format
Developer N/A
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What is a STL file?

The .STL extension refers to files of the type, Stereolithography files. It is a native file format for CAD software that are based on stereolithography. There are many community developed and supported packages that work with the STL file and language for CAD.

The STL file is mostly used for rapid prototyping and contains usually 3D modeling data. Some of the various versions of STL are ASCII STL, Binary STL and the native STL. The 3D printers are based on the principle of stereolithography and hence the use of STL is widely seen in the industry.  

Program(s) that can open the .STL file

How to open STL files

If you cannot open the STL file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports STL among those that are installed on your device.

A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the STL file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.

Possible problems with the STL format files

The inability to open and operate the STL file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the Stereolithography Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.

  • Corruption of a STL file which is being opened
  • Incorrect links to the STL file in registry entries.
  • Accidental deletion of the description of the STL from the Windows registry
  • Incomplete installation of an application that supports the STL format
  • The STL file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
  • The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the STL file.
  • Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a STL file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the STL file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the STL file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the STL file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.

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How to associate the file with an installed software?

If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.STL) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected STL file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the STL file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.

Is there one way to open unknown files?

Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. STL) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.

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