RE: STL file format units

From: Jamie (jamiedo2001@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue Jul 29 2003 - 12:33:23 EEST


Hi Pieter

I have always fould the STL units was dependant on the
CAD output units, this is sometimes set to
centimeters.

Jamie

--- Pieter.Bourgaux@materialise.be wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> As mentioned before, an STL-file is unitless and
> there no convention.
>
> However, there's a kind of unwritten rule that makes
> that 99.99% of the STLs
> are
> - in inch (mainly in the USA)
> - in mm (mainly outside USA)
>
> So when you load an STL and it is 25.4 times too
> big/small... you know what
> is wrong.
>
> Almost all RP-programs expects that an STL is in mm
> or in inch. Magics shows
> an alarm message when you load a part that is
> suspiciously big or small
> (depending of the used unit size)
>
> However, I just saw an STL-file with cm as unit
> size... (The exception
> confirms the rule, as we say over here :-) )
>
> Regards,
>
> Pieter Bourgaux
>
> Application engineer
> Materialise
>
> Tel +32 16 39 66 66
> Fax +32 16 39 66 00
>
> No time to fix a file ? STLfix.com does it for you !
>
> On-line around the clock STL repair and CAD to STL
> conversion.
> "No cure, money back" guarantee.
> http://www.stlfix.com
>
>
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>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bathsheba Grossman
> [mailto:sheba@bathsheba.com]
> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 12:50 AM
> To: rp-ml
> Subject: Re: STL file format units
>
>
> On Thu, 17 Jul 2003, Charles Overy wrote:
> > Quick question. Is there any formal set of units
> in the STL standard? In
> > other words is there anywhere that the type of
> units, inches, meters,
> > millimeters are called out? Or is it defacto or by
> convention in one unit
> or
> > another? My understanding is that it is unitless
> and is usually defined
> > when you open the file.
>
> The STL format is unitless, and there is no
> convention: the person
> sending the file has to tell the receiver what unit
> to use.
>
> -Sheba
> --
> Bathsheba Grossman phone
> (831)429-8224, fax (831)460-1242
> Sculpting geometry
> bathsheba.com
> Solidscape prototyping
> protoshape.com
> Protein crystals
> crystalprotein.com
>
>

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