Best Practices:

File Preparation
for 3D Printing
with
FDM® and PolyJet™

DOC-08545 Rev. C
Best Practices File Preparation for 3D Printing with FDM and PolyJet

Copyrights
© Copyright 2017–2019 Stratasys. All rights reserved.
No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into any human or
computer language in any form, nor stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from Stratasys. This document may be printed for internal use only. All
copies, shall contain a full copy of this copyright notice.

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Stratasys, GrabCAD Print, PolyJet, Objet Studio are trademarks of Stratasys and/or
subsidiaries or affiliates and may be registered. All other product names and trademarks are
the property of their respective owners.

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Stratasys shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential
damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material. Stratasys
makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the
implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. It is the responsibility
of the system owner/material buyer to determine that Stratasys material is safe, lawful, and
technically suitable for the intended application as well as identify the proper disposal (or
recycling) method consistent with local environmental regulations. Except as provided in
Stratasys' standard conditions of sale, Stratasys shall not be responsible for any loss resulting
from any use of its products described herein.

Disclaimer
Customer acknowledges the contents of this document and that Stratasys parts, materials, and
supplies are subject to its standard terms and conditions, available on
http://www.stratasys.com/legal/terms-and-conditions-of-sale, which are incorporated herein by
reference.in certain jurisdictions.
The specifications and/or information on which this document is based are subject to change
without notice.

January 2019
DOC-08545 Rev. C

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Contents
About This Guide.......................................................... 4
STLs and 3D Printing ................................................... 5
Overview (Standard Triangulation / Tessellation Language)............ 5
STL Settings..................................................................................... 5
Resolution ................................................................................................5
Angular Tolerance & Chord Tolerance/Deviation......................................7
STL Output Types ............................................................................ 9
Exporting Multi-Part STLs ................................................................ 9
Assemblies and Tolerances......................................................................9
Multi-Material/Color Capabilities.............................................................10
Using SolidWorks for STL Generation ........................................... 12

Manipulating Meshes.................................................. 15
Overview ........................................................................................ 15
Common Problems and Fixes in CAD to STL Conversion............. 15
Inverted Normals/Flip Triangles..............................................................16
Zero Thickness .......................................................................................20
Bad Edges..............................................................................................23
Non-Manifold Objects.............................................................................36
Overlapping Shells & Offset/ Noise Shells .............................................36
Additional Boolean Operations ...............................................................43

From 2D Images to 3D Meshes.................................. 44

Overview ........................................................................................ 44
Converting 2D Images to 3D Meshes ............................................ 46

From STL to VRML/OBJ (PolyJet only) ...................... 53

File Types....................................................................................... 53
Adding Color (Vertex Painting) in Materialise Magics .................... 54
Adding Texture Mapping.........................................................................62
Exporting to File ............................................................................. 69

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About This Guide

The purpose of this document is to provide information about the STL files, tools for creating
STL files that are optimized for additive manufacture, while taking advantage of Stratasys color
and multi- material capabilities.
This guide covers the following main topics:
• What is an STL file?
• How to create an STL files
• How to optimize and fix STL files
• Specific applications/features (2D to 3D file creation, VRML, OBJ)
This guide will discuss the workflow, settings and functions in general, and specifically for the
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks® and Materialise® Magics® (V23.0) software packages. These
operations can be performed with other software packages, too. Please get in touch with your
Stratasys representative for further information and support.

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STLs and 3D Printing

This section covers the following topics:
• Overview
• STL Settings
• STL Output Types
• Exporting Multi-Part STLs
• Using SolidWorks for STL Generation

Overview (Standard Triangulation / Tessellation Language)

A Computer Aided Design (CAD) system is a combination of hardware and software that
enables engineers and architects to design everything from furniture to airplanes. For additive
manufacture native CAD files cannot be read by the 3D printer, and the designed models need
to be saved as STL (STereoLithography) file. This file type describes only the surface geometry
of a three dimensional object with triangulated surfaces. This file type does not store
information relating to texture or color.
The number and size of the triangles determine how accurately curved surfaces are printed.
The more complex the surface, the more triangles produced.
For best results, it is recommended that the features of a design have a minimum feature detail
of 0.6 mm. Using PolyJet™ technology you can achieve fine detail parts down to 0.1mm /
0.2mm, however, depending on the specific geometry they may be very fragile, resulting in
handling or post processing issues. Additionally, care and special consideration needs to be
made to part orientation while printing (see Best Practice Guides).
Models containing holes or gaps adversely affect quality when printed. Therefore, it is
recommended that you perform a geometry check of the STL files before continuing. This
should be performed with a third party STL fixing software package, such as Materialise
Magics. If there is a problem with the STL model the software attempts to fix the geometry.
Alternatively, GrabCAD Print™ attempts to automatically fix the STL model geometry. Take
special care when using the automatic fix operation in GrabCAD Print, as the algorithm can
make changes to the model that may result in a model that deviates from design intent.
When printing in 3D, ensure that the model is watertight before saving it as an STL file. A
watertight model is a closed, defined volume. (It is much harder to fix STL files than native CAD
files.)

STL Settings
When STL files are created, there are a range of parameters that need to be considered.

Resolution
The quality of the printed part is defined by the density of the triangle mesh. The main goal is to
achieve a balance between file size and a fully-defined model with smooth curved geometries,
But, the more triangles the larger the file size.

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For a simple model such as a box, surfaces can be approximated with twelve triangles.

The more complex the surface, the more triangles produced.

A mesh resolution of 0.005 millimeters generally produces a good quality STL file. (A resolution
of 0.001mm may be suitable for certain geometries to ensure that high accuracy and design
intent is captured). Reducing mesh resolution below this does not necessarily mean that model
accuracy is improved.
It is recommended that:
• you create large parts or highly detailed parts with a higher resolution than small
parts.
• designs that have many contours or curved surfaces need a higher resolution
than flat, geometric surfaces.
• the resolution of the part should be double the resolution of the printer. These
settings may not be achievable with all CAD software packages.

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If the STL model appears coarse and faceted on screen, you will see it in the finished model.
The printed part will not print any better or smoother than the STL.

File translated with coarse tolerance File translated with fine tolerance

If the facets are clearly visible on screen, then the printed models will also be faceted.

Angular Tolerance & Chord Tolerance/Deviation

When exporting a CAD model to STL, the number and size of the triangles can be controlled by
adjusting the appropriate parameters. These settings have a major effect on the quality of the
STL output with regard to replicating the design intent accurately.
• Chord Tolerance/Deviation—
This parameter specifies the maximum distance between a chord and the part's surface
(see figure below). It controls the degree of tessellation of the model surface. A smaller
chord height, will result in a more accurate curvature of the surface, but a larger file.
• Angular Tolerance—
This parameter regulates how much additional tessellation occurs along surfaces with
small radii. The smaller the radii, the more triangles are used.

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These settings control the maximum distance allowed between the edge of a facet and the
actual surface of the designed CAD model.
The effect of changing the chord deviation parameter during STL generation is shown in below.

Low chord deviation = 0.00855126 mm

File size: 117 KB

High chord deviation = 0.2052303 mm

File size: 1,114 KB

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STL Output Types

There are two storage formats for STL files:
• Binary (recommended)—
A computer-readable file (non-text file). Each character position can hold any one of 256
different binary codes.
• ASCII—
A human-readable text file. The large size of its file makes it impractical and errors may
occur when working with assemblies.

Exporting Multi-Part STLs

Assemblies and Tolerances
• If an assembly of parts is designed so that its solid bodies are distinct parts, the model will
be separable into its components (shells) when saved in STL format.
• The 3D-printing preparation software (such as, GrabCAD Print) contains a full range of
tools for printing Mixed Parts (models whose parts are printed using more than one Model
material). This is applicable for PolyJet only.

Tolerance Between Moving Parts

When building an assembly, make sure there is proper clearance between mating parts to
prevent them from fusing together.
• PolyJet—a clearance of 0.25 mm
• FDM—
• Z axis = a minimum clearance of slice thickness
• X-and-Y axes = at least the default extrusion width (that is, tip size)

Tolerance

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Additionally, the minimum clearance needed for mating parts when not producing the
components fully assembled is:
• PolyJet—0.1–0.15 mm
• FDM—The clearance is equal to the tolerance of the printer on which that the parts are
printed. For example, when building a 127 mm (5 in) front and back housing on the Fortus
400mc, the minimum clearance needed for an interlocking feature is 0.25 mm (0.01 in)
between mating surfaces.

Multi-Material/Color Capabilities
Using PolyJet technology, models can be printed from different Model materials and a wide
range of colors (on certain printer models). To make this possible, each component must be a
separate STL file. This is achieved by designing the part in CAD as separate bodies or shells
and exporting them as individual shells or STL files. Then, these are loaded into the printer
software as an assembly, or separated into shells with the printer software, where the material
and color selection will be applied.
In the following example, a multi-material model has been designed in CAD.

Grip—over-molded,
made of flexible material
Handle—made of rigid
plastic

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When this model is converted to STL, only one shell exists. To print the part using
multi-materials, you need to perform extensive STL processing.

The part should be designed using multi-body CAD modeling, where each solid body in the
model is converted to different shells or STL files.

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In this way, six shells or STL files are formed enabling the assignment of different materials in
the printer software.

Using SolidWorks for STL Generation

SolidWorks supports the saving of model designs in STL format, at all levels of design, for both
individual parts and assemblies, including the ability to save a multi-bodied model as a single
STL.
To generate an STL file in SolidWorks:
1. In the File menu, select Save as.
2. From the Save as type drop-down list, select STL (*.stl).

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3. Click Options.
4. In the Output as area, select Binary.

Saving the file as binary, will result in a smaller size file that is quicker to process
in downstream applications.

5. In the Resolution section, select the appropriate option.

If you select Custom, you can manually adjust the Deviation and Angle settings, as
needed. These settings affect the tessellation of non-planar surfaces, as follows:
• Lower Deviation settings result in finer tessellation.
• Lower Angle settings result in greater accuracy, noticeable in small details.

As a rule, the higher the resolution, the larger the size of the file, and the longer
it takes to generate.

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6. Make sure that the following check boxes are not selected:
• Do not translate STL output data to positive space
This ensures that the parts maintain their original position in global space, relative to
the origin.
• Save all components of an assembly in a single file
This ensures that each component is saved as a separate STL file.

This check box is not relevant when saving multi-bodied models, since the
model is saved as single STL file with multiple shells.

7. Click OK.
8. In the Save As dialog box, click Save.
9. In the confirmation message, click Yes.

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Manipulating Meshes
This section covers the following topics:
• Overview
• Common Errors in CAD to STL Conversion
• Additional Tools and Techniques

Overview
While all CAD software allows you to create of STL files, this process does not always
generate a printable file. These files may require additional actions to improve the quality of the
STL file and ensure that it is ready for printing.
With STL manipulation software you can:
• Analyze the STL model and check for errors.
• Fix the models in order to produce watertight models.
• Perform several simple actions to change the model, such as sectioning the model to fit
onto multiple build trays, adding labels onto the model, and other pre-print preparations.
This section describes the STL manipulation using Materialise Magics software,
however, the workflow and functions are compatible with other STL manipulation
software.

Common Problems and Fixes in CAD to STL Conversion

Often, when generating STL files, you have errors that require fixing before editing. The most
common error is that the model is not watertight, because some CAD software fails to close all
surface sets when translating CAD data into STL files. This leads to a damaged STL file and a
model with holes, gaps, inverted parts, etc.

Using the Auto Fix tool is not recommended because it does not allow you to specify
the parameters for the fixing operations and adversely affect the desired geometry.

The following common errors and fixes are covered in this section:
• Inverted Normal/Flip Triangles
• Zero Thickness
• Bad Edges
• Overlapping Shells & Offset/Noise Shells
• Non-Manifold Objects
• Boolean Operations

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Inverted Normals/Flip Triangles

Error In addition to the STL creation parameters discussed at the beginning of this document, when
Description editing or fixing the generated STL file the direction of the triangle must be taken into
consideration. Since we are dealing with 3 dimensional shapes, the data stored for each
triangle is the xyz for the three corners and the direction it faces. This direction is expressed by
the normal of the triangle. (The outward direction is represented by the normal.)

The two triangles above, though they are identical, are facing in opposite directions. If the
direction for all or part of the model is incorrect it can cause problems for the printer to identify
a model as watertight or which surfaces to apply the appropriate material or color.
As shown below an inverted normal is a triangle or group of triangles, whose normals do not
create a solid body, or are not consistent with adjacent triangles.
In Materialise Magics, surfaces colored gray represent the outward facing triangles and the
inward facing triangles are colored red,

Before fixing After fixing

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Solution Follow these steps to use the fix the normals:

1. Open the Fix Wizard tool.

2. In the Diagnostics tab, click Update to bring the diagnostics up to date, and to verify if
further fixing is required.

3. Run the Normals Fix tool to fix the normals.

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4. When the done, in the Fix Wizard, Diagnostics section, click Update to update the
diagnostics and to view the results.

5. Close the Fix Wizard tool.

If there are still problem areas:
1. Select the affected triangles individually (and a margin of surrounding triangles).

For the inverted normals the visible red surface is showing.

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2. Press Delete on the keyboard to delete the selected triangles.

3. Select the Noise Shells tool to remove any floating triangles.

4. Select the Holes Fix tool to automatically fix holes.

5. Select the Fix Wizard tool and click Update to view the updated diagnostics.
6. Perform any additional fixing, if necessary.
7. Close the Fix Wizard tool.

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Zero Thickness
Error Sometimes, a modeled CAD body is represented as a surface with no volume. Models that are
Description printed in 3D must have a volume that is larger than zero.
For example, the part shown below is a sheet of material, which has no volume, even though it
is a three dimensional form.

For the file to be printable it must have a volume. A minimum of 0.6 mm thickness is
recommended.
Solution Use one of the following tools to fix the thickness:
• Surface to Solid tool—
a. From the Tools ribbon, select Surface to Solid.

b. When the dialog box appears, select the Offset based tab.

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c. Set the Shell Thickness—

• For PolyJet, set the thickness to at least 0.6 mm.
• For FDM, the thickness depends on the slice thickness that will be used to build the
part. The thickness of vertical walls should be twice the slice thickness (4 or more
times will produce stronger walls).

• Offset Part tool—

a. From the Tools ribbon, select Offset.

b. When the dialog box appears, select the Global tab.

c. Select the direction for the offset.

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d. Set the offset thickness.

e. Click Apply.
The modified part shown below is printable, because it has a positive volume.

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Bad Edges
Error Printable models must be watertight. All the triangles must be connected to their neighboring
Description triangles, with no gaps. Gaps between triangles are referred to as Bad Edges.
There are two types of bad edges:
• Near Bad Edges—
Edges of triangles that are very close (but not connected) to a neighbor triangle.
In the figure below the eyelids are very close to the eye, but they are not connected.

Near bad edges

before repair

To fix the near bad edges, you use stitching, which is determined by the Stitching Tolerance
value.

Before stitching After stitching

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Near bad edges

after repair

• Real Bad Edges—

These typically enclose a hole in a shape (planar or spacial) and have an open contour.
The part shown below has a missing triangles; a real bad edge. As a result, the part has a
zero thickness, which is not printable.

Solution Use the following tools to fix the real or near bad edges:
• Stitching for near bad edges—
a. From the Fix ribbon, select Automatic Stitching.

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b. Run the Fix Wizard diagnostic tool to verify that the automatic stitching succeeded.

If the automatic stitching does not fix all the near bad edges, use manual stitching,
as follows:
c. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, increase the tolerance to cover wider surface
gaps.

d. Run the Fix Wizard diagnostic tool to verify that the automatic stitching succeeded.
e. Repeat the manual stitching operation until the near bad edges are resolved.

In cases of very severe bad edge, you can delete the triangles in the affected area
and perform a Fill Hole operation with bridge section, as described below.

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• Creating a thickness for real bad edges—

If the missing face is part of the design intent, you need to create thickness. You can fix this
by using the Offset or the Surface to Solid tools (see “Solution” on page 20).

Without thickness Thickness added

• Filling the holes for real bad edges—

If there are missing triangles in the model and the missing face ia not the design intent—
that is, it needs to be closed, not thickened as shown above—close the hole by adding
triangles. Once the hole is closed, the box is watertight and has a positive volume, making
it suitable for printing.

Missing face Closed face

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Materialise Magics can only automatically recognize planar holes. This means holes that
are mostly along the same plane. Holes which follow more complicated contours will not be
recognized and will be shown as a bad contour.

Planar hole Bad contour

a. From the Fix ribbon, select Holes Fix.

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b. Run the Fix Wizard diagnostic tool to verify that the automatic stitching succeeded.

Fixing bad contour and other types of holes:

Bad contour and other types of holes may not be resolved using the Holes Fix tool. To
resolve them, you need to identify the type of hole, and then, apply the appropriate hole
filling solution.
There are five hole filling methods that can be applied:
• Planar Hole Filling—
This method fills holes with one flat surface.

To fix the holes using the Planar method:

i. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, display the Holes tab.
ii. From the Manual Hole Fill section, select Planar.

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iii. Click Fill Hole Mode.

iv. Using the mouse cursor, click the outside edge of the hole. The hole is
automatically filled.

• Ruled Hole Filling—

This method lets you indicate the direction of the plane the hole operation will follow.

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To fix the holes using the Ruled method:

i. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, display the Holes tab.
i. From the Manual Hole Fill section, select Ruled.
ii. Select the plane on which you want the operation to be performed.
iii. Click Fill Hole Mode.

iv. Using the mouse cursor, click the outside edge of the hole. The hole is
automatically filled.

• Freeform Hole Filling—

This method follows the surface around the hole. A smooth surface will be generated to
fill up the hole.

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To fix the holes using the Freeform method:

i. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, display the Holes tab.
i. From the Manual Hole Fill section, select Freeform.
- Select the Automatic option for an average polygon size generated mesh.
- Select the Grid Size option to specify the mesh size.
When using the grid size selection, it is recommended to enable the Tangent
option This feature ensures that the generated surface hole fits perfectly on
the surrounding triangles.

ii. Select the plane on which you want the operation to be performed.
iii. Click Fill Hole Mode.

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iv. Using the mouse cursor, click the outside edge of the hole. The hole is
automatically filled.

Hole fix without Tangent selected Hole fix with Tangent selected

• Multiple Contour Hole Filling—

To fix the holes using the Multiple Contour method:

i. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, display the Holes tab.
i. From the Manual Hole Fill section, select Planar.
ii. Select the Treat As One Hole check box.
iii. Click Mark Contours.
iv. Using the mouse cursor, select the edges of the hole that need filling.
Click once on each profile/contour edge.

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v. Click Fill Hole Mode.

vi. Click Fill Marked Contours.

The hole is automatically filled.

vii. Repeat these steps for all applicable holes.

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• Bridge Aided Hole Filling—

Sometimes, the automatic hole filling operation does not close the holes properly. To
resolve this, you need to make the hole more defined. This is done by creating a bridge
(or a series of bridges) across the hole, and then applying the hole filling operation to
them, as shown in the figure below.

To fix the holes using the Bridge Aided method:

i. In the right pane, Fix Pages section, display the Holes tab.
i. From the Manual Hole Fill section, select Planar.
ii. Click Create Bridge.
iii. Click and hold the mouse cursor over the edge that requires a bridge.
iv. Drag the mouse cursor to the opposite edge and release the mouse to create the
bridge section.

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v. Click Fill Hole Mode.

vi. Click the hole that can now be filled using the Planar method.
The hole is automatically filled.

vii. Repeat these steps for large or complex holes to create a series of smaller holes
that can be automatically filled using the planar method, as shown below.

Complex non-planar hole Create bridges Fill using the automatic

(planar) hole operation

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Non-Manifold Objects
Error Non-manifold objects are parts with one triangle edge that touches more than two faces, as
Description shown below.

The problematic edge, highlighted in yellow, causes an issue. Does it belong to the left or right
box?
Solution To ensure that this is not an issue, verify that this model is made of two distinct shells.

Overlapping Shells & Offset/ Noise Shells

Error A shell is a collection of triangles connected to each other. A part should have one shell which
Description ensures that every triangle in the shell is connected to (indirectly) to all the others. An assembly
model can be comprised of multiple watertight bodies (shells). With PolyJet technology, using
non-overlapping shells is preferable whenever possible, if the shells overlap, the printer
software chooses the default material to assign for the overlapping region. However, if you
have overlapping clear shells, this may result in undesirable aesthetics and incorrect color
placement.

Single shell Overlapping shell—suitable for

PolyJet multi-material/color models

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Hollow part with 2 separate

shells—this is normal for hollow
models

Two types of shell-related errors can occur during STL creation

• Offset Shells—shells that leave voids in the model.
• Noise Shells—unnecessary shells floating in/around the model.

Overlapping Shells

Offset Shells Noise Shells

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Scanned models typically contain many noise shells.

Solution 1 In most cases, the simplest way to deal with these problems is to run the Noise Shells tool. If,
subsequently, when checking for errors there are individual multiple shells they should be
identified before deciding to remove them or incorporate them into an existing shell on a case
by case basis.
Solution 2 You can view areas within the model using the Multi Section tool, which enables easy editing
and identification of noise shells inside the model. You can access the Multi Section tab from
the View Pages section (right pane). Select a row, and then, click the Clip option and select the
desired display. In the sectioned view, you can select individual triangles and delete them.

To fix noise shells:

1. From the Fix ribbon, open the Fix Wizard tool.

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2. In the Diagnostics tab, click Update to bring the diagnostics up to date.

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3. From the left pane, select Noise Shells.

4. From the list, select a row.

The noise shell are identified (highlighted) on the model.

5. Use the Visibility icon to toggle on/off the visibility of noise shells.

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6. Once the shells that can be discarded have been identified, select them by clicking the
corresponding row.

7. Select Delete Selected Shells.

8. Run the Fix Wizard diagnostic tool to verify that the issues were resolved.

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Solution 3 Another option for fixing the overlapping issue is using the Unite Boolean operation. This
operation merges the selected files into one file and trims all the surfaces to make one shell of
both parts. There is no limit on the number of files that can be united.
Other Boolean operations are Intersect and Subtract. For an explanation on each of these
operation, see the next section.
To resolve the errors using the Unite operations:
1. In the Tools ribbon, Boolean button, select Boolean.

2. In the Boolean window, select the Unite operation.

3. Select the main bodies you wish to unite.

4. Click OK.

• To preserve the original geometry, clear the Unload Originals check box.

• Select the Visibility icon to toggle on/off the visibility of parts.

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The bodies are merged.

Additional Boolean Operations

In addition to the unite (merge) operation describe above, Materialise Magics supports other
common Boolean operations:
• Subtract (Boolean Cut)—
This operation subtracts one part from another. The user specifies which part to
subtract from the other. The selected parts are automatically assigned two different
colors. The main body is green and the part to subtract is red.
• Intersect—
This operation creates a new body of the area where several parts overlap.

Subtract (Cut)

Original part Intersect

Unite

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From 2D Images to 3D Meshes

This section covers the following topics:
• Overview
• Converting 2D Images File to 3D Meshes

Overview
There are several ways to create 3D models from BMP images. This section explains how to
do this by converting a BMP file to an STL file. This method is useful in a wide range of
applications. It opens possibilities for creating and simulating coins, medals, printing plates,
stamps, height maps, bump mapping, textures, dactylography (fingerprinting), and many
others.

In this method, the gray shades in the 2D image (in BMP format) are translated into a 3D height
map, as shown below. The two-dimensional array (the color) of each element is interpreted as
a height value in order to store information on the height of each point. For example, the white
points are flat, the gray points are higher and the black points are the highest. This is how
Materialise Magics converts grayscale images to physical textures. Other software packages
that use this techniques, such as Adobe Photoshop®, typically use images with black/white
inverted. For the cleanest and sharpest results, use an image with as few gradients as
possible, that is monochrome rather than grayscale or color.

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Monochrome— Grayscale— Color—

Best definition Workable, able to Unable to represent
represent different different heights
height gradients properly

Many 2D file types can be converted to a 3D model. For best results, use BMP files.

Model created
from a JPG file

Model created
from a BMP file

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Converting 2D Images to 3D Meshes

The following steps were performed using Microsoft® Paint and Materialise Magics.
Similar software programs can also be used.

Convert the 1. Open the image in Microsoft Paint or in any other program that can save a file in bitmap
Image to (BMP) format.
BMP 2. Edit the image and remove or add features to minimize downstream STL editing.
Format
3. Save the image as a BMP file.

Create the 4. Open Materialise Magics.

STL file 5. From the Tools tab, select the Create button.
6. Select Create From Image.

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7. In the following window, File Name field, navigate to the BMP file you saved, and select it.

8. Set the Picture Size parameters as follows:

• X & Y = the size of the generated model
• Z = the depth of the generated features
9. Set the Frame Size perimeter to provide rigidity and support for the part, if required.
10. Click OK to generate the model.

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Edit the 11. Display the View tab, and orient the model for editing.
Model

12. From the Tools tab, select Cut or Punch.

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13. Depending on the features that need editing, select a circle or polyline cut, and select
Apply.

14. Repeat this process until the desired result is achieved.

Additional actions:

• To hide cut sections from the Parts List, select the Visibility icon .
• To delete cut sections from the Parts List, right-click on the part, and select Unload
Selected Parts.

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Fix the 15. From the Fix tab, select Fix Wizard.
Model

16. In the following window, side menu, make sure that Diagnostics is selected.
17. Select Update.

18. Continue as follows:

• If all the results of the diagnostics are OK, close the window.
• If there are errors, see “Common Problems and Fixes in CAD to STL Conversion” on
page 15.

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Save the 19. From the File tab, select Save as > Save Selected Part As.
File

20. Select an location and file name.

21. Click Save.

22. Exit the Magics application.

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Below is an image of the printed result.

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From STL to VRML/OBJ (PolyJet only)

This section covers the following topics:
• File Types
• Adding color (vertex painting) in Materialise Magics
• Texture mapping using Materialise Magics
• Exporting to VRML/OBJ

File Types
• VRML files—
VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is a standard file format for representing 3D
interactive vector graphics supported by many of today's 3D modeling applications. Unlike
the STL file, VRML describes an object's geometry and visual characteristics. VRML is a
text file format where, for example, vertices and edges for a 3D polygon can be specified
along with the surface color, UV mapped textures, shininess, transparency, and so on.
VRML defines shape, color and texture for individual components and discrete surfaces.
VRML is applicable when printing with PolyJet technology.
VRML files can be created in a number of software packages. This section focuses on the
Materialise Magics software application as it can be used for STL file fixing and has a
procedure workflow that is most intuitive for CAD users.
• OBJ files—
Similar to the VRML format, an OBJ file saves the geometries approximation in the form of
tessellations (just like an STL file). It also enables the surface geometry to be precisely
captured using freeform curves, where the user defines a collection of freeform curves that
run along the surface of the model. The surface is then approximated from these curves.
These freeform curves are more complicated than a mesh of polygonal faces, however
curved lines can be exactly described with simple mathematical functions, which results in
a much smaller file size. With the OBJ file, geometry can also be specified by tiling the
surface with freeform patches instead of polygons. These patches are good for describing
surfaces that are organic in form like a car body (not planes, spheres, cylinders/cones) and
enable you to save precise NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B Spline) freeform surfaces.
The advantages of using freeform surfaces are similar to the advantages of using freeform
curves. They are more precise than freeform curves, since they encode the surface
exactly, not approximately. Additionally, they lead to smaller file sizes.
The OBJ file format lets you store color and texture information in a companion file format,
Material Template Library (MTL). This partner file has the extension *.MTL.
MTL files contain ASCII text that defines the surface light reflecting properties and material
properties, such as material type, color, ambient color, diffuse color, specular color,
transparency, etc. This determines what the model will look like when it is rendered.
With these two files together it is possible to render a multi-color textured model.

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In addition to supporting these material properties, the MTL format also supports texture
maps, which is a more convenient method of specifying colors and textures. It does this by
using a separate texture/2D image file in the same way as VRML.

The STLs considerations described earlier in this document on pages 5-7, apply
also to VRML and OBJ files.

Adding Color (Vertex Painting) in Materialise Magics

In Magics you can apply colors to:
• Individual triangles
• Planes
• Surfaces
• Entire shells
• Manually selected areas
To add color:
1. Open Materialise Magics.
2. From the File tab, select Load, and then select Import Part.

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3. Select the file you wish to import and click Open to load it.

The file loads into Magics.

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4. Check the file for errors, as follows:

a. Display the Fix tab, and select Fix Wizard.

b. Select Diagnostics, and then click Update to check the file.

If there are errors, see section “Common Problems and Fixes in CAD to STL Conversion”
on page 15.
5. From the Texture ribbon, select Paint Part.

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6. Select the appropriate selection tool.

Selection
tools

In the following figure, the Mark Plane selection tool is used.

7. On the model, select the area (plane) you wish to color.

8. In the Paint Parts dialog box, select the color box to open the color picker window.

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9. Select the desired color from the color swatch and click OK.

Use the Define Custom Colors button for a greater variety of shades or to enter a
specific RGB value.

10. In the Paint Part dialog box, click Color Marked and click OK.
11. Repeat the steps above for the other areas on the model, until you complete all desired
color selection.
You can use different selection tools to color different surfaces or individual triangles, as
shown below.

Mark Surface selection

Mark Plane selection

Mark Triangle selection

12. Continue as follows:

• To add texture models, continue with “Texture Mapping Using Materialise Magics” on
page 59.
• To save and export the project, continue with “Exporting to File” on page 69.

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Texture Mapping Using Materialise Magics

Texture mapping is a method for defining high detail, surface texture, or color information on a
3D model. Texture mapping refers to a method that applies an image to a 3D body by wrapping
and mapping pixels from a 2D texture to a 3D surface, shape or polygon.

• Textures are commonly used in computer graphics, games and 3D animation

• No actual 3D texture is created (for that a height map or bump displacement map is
required)
• For 3D printing we only need Color/Diffuse maps
• Textures can be created from any digital image, such as photographs, digital painted
pictures and scanned images.
When creating a computer render, there is more than just color involved. Lighting,
environment, and material definitions help create the realistic feel on our screen. Although the
all the information is saved in the file, only the color designations are represented in the printed
part.
Unlike vertex painting, with texture maps you can create a higher detailed model with lower
polygon count. Textures can be wrapped around the body of an object using flat or cylindrical
projections.
Typically, a texture mapping workflow works as follows:
a. A 3D object is designed, such as the cube shown below.
b. The 3D object’s geometry is mapped and unwrapped, so that it is represented in a 2D
plane.
c. The 2D image for the texture is imported.
d. The geometry map and texture image are aligned.
e. The image is overlaid onto the part’s geometry map.
f. The map is rewrapped onto the original 3D geometry.

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The coordinates of the 2D image have attributes like color and texture. When rendering the 3D
model, every surface point is assigned a coordinate in this 2-dimensional image.

To improve UV mapping and downstream editing, ensure that mesh density of the underlying
model is even and triangles are formed with similar edge lengths.

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In certain geometries, wrapping may cause distortion. In the figure below, the leather texture
becomes distorted at the end of the model.

If required, the distortion can be resolved by performing the texturing process in an alternate
software package (such as Blender™) that allows unwrapping the surface of the 3D object so
that it lays on a flat 2D plane, applying the texture, and then reforming the object. This process
can result visible seams.

Original STL Unwrapped Texture applied Rewrapped model

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Below is an example of a rewrapped model with visible seams.

Bad visible seams Aligned visible seams

To print textures, follows these guidelines:

• For a texture map, use an image resolution of 600 DPI and higher for optimal results. The
3D printing preparation software automatically resizes the image to fit the mesh, if needed.
• The generated VRML file has a 1-millimeter thick texture all around. The remaining internal
core is white. For optimum color results, a 1-millimeter-thick core is recommended. This
results in a 3-millimeter thickness overall. Walls that are thinner than 3 millimeters may
affect the color opacity.
• The files need to be exported as a WRL files in VRML 97/VRML2.

Adding Texture Mapping

To add texture mapping:
1. Open Materialise Magics.
2. From the File tab, select Load, and then select Import Part.

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3. Select the file you wish to import, and click Open to load it.

The file is loaded into Magics.

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4. Check the file for errors, as follows:

a. Display the Fix tab, and select Fix Wizard.

b. Select Diagnostics, and then click Update to check the file.

If there are errors, see section “Common Problems and Fixes in CAD to STL Conversion”
on page 15.
5. Select an appropriate selection tool.

Selection
tools

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In this example the Mark Surface selection tool is used.

The surface of the model is marked in green.

6. From the Texture ribbon, select New Texture.

The Open dialog box appears.

7. Select the image for the texture, and click Open.

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Any image can be used as a texture. Seamless textures, such as wood grain,
leather and stone are available online and are preferred for texture wrapping.

The image is automatically applied to the selected surface and the Textures dialog box
appears.

Any untextured surfaces appears in the printed model as gray (or white if you're
using older software versions).

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8. In the Dimensions section:

a. Adjust the width and height of the texture, as required.
b. Disable the Lock ratio button.

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9. In the Rotation section, adjust the direction of the texture, as required.

10. In the Position section, adjust the position of the texture, as required.

11. Select desired projection direction.

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12. To repeat the texture image, select the Tile image button.

13. Click Apply.

14. Close the dialog box.
15. Repeat steps 8–14 for other model elements, as necessary.

Exporting to File
You need to export the part as a VRML or OBJ file to ensure that the colors and textures
selected can be replicated in the final part.
To export the files:
1. Save the Magics project. Use the File > Save as > Save Project as option.
This enables you to edit the files in the future.
2. In the Part List tab, make sure that the part is selected.

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3. From the File menu, select Save As.

4. Select Save Selected Part(s) As.

5. In following dialog box, from Save as type drop-down, select the VRML or OBJ file type.

When exporting to VRML, the following window appears.

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6. Make sure that the units match the units in the CAD file.

When importing into the Stratasys file preparation software (for example, Objet
Studio or GrabCAD Print), make sure that the units match the ones in the models.

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