How to Convert STL to STEP using Free Software? (Short Tutorial)

[@Holocreators]

If you would like to learn more about converting STL to STEP, check out our website: holocreators.com/blog/how-to-convert-stl-to-step/ Holocreators is a 3D-scanning and reverse engineering company. We'd love to help you with your projects. Please call us [phone] or write us an email: [e-mail]

[@Rycamcam]

Thank you! You actually linked the scan files. Took me a while to find a tutorial that has files so that we can learn along with the tutorial. Subscribed!

[@Holocreators]

Hi, happy they were helpful.

[@stevesloan6775]

“New subscriber here” So glad I stumbled across your channel. I really love how you zoom in on the buttons being used in the tutorials. Awesome for vision impaired and watching on phone screens. Love your work and please keep your informative videos coming! 🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼😎🍀🍀🍀

[@Holocreators]

Good Morning Steve, thank you very much. Yes, sometimes I do the Zoom in, but sometimes I also forget :-). With such a big UI and all these small buttons it only makes sense. Have a wonderful day.

[@dodobarbar]

Just a comment... This is not CONVERTING but starting from scratch. You are using a 3D file for reference only. It is even easier doing some 2D measuring with a caliper directly on the original piece and than model a 3D part. Though the GOM is a good point! I owe you a beer ;-)

[@Holocreators]

Thanks Abraka, correct this is a reconstruction with solid modeling based on a 3D scan.

[@bilaldjilali8447]

I subscribed cuz you realy look like someone who want to help others and share knowledge.

[@Holocreators]

Thank you, sharing knowledge, that's what I am always trying to do.

[@sajjadabouei6721]

really really helpful thank you

[@D2501-q7f]

Thank you for this video. It helped me a lot.

[@Holocreators]

happy to hear that, kind regards.Swann

[@dewexdewex]

Great video. It may be worth pointing out that Autodesk Fusion 360 is also free to use for SMEs. Fusion 360 is now the staple of the 3D printing community, and has been since Autodesk decided this policy a couple of years ago. Keep up the good work.

[@Holocreators]

Thank you Dewex, I agree Fusion is a great tool. Have a wonderful day.

[@DeltaOps3]

thank you very much for these

[@Holocreators]

Thanks!

[@alvaroperdigao]

Congratulation! Great video! Thanks a lot!

[@Holocreators]

Thank you Alvaro.

[@diegoandrade3912]

excellent job

[@Holocreators]

Thank you very much Diego.

[@emalannaidoo6187]

I have a model of a boat that I need to make into a solid for a university project , do you think this method would work nicely for a model of that complexity? Just don't want to waste more time on the model part, I've basically used a iges file for my model and modeling on it on fusion 360 I know iges files are outdated but only way I was able to reduce the faces so I have flat surfaces to draw on any help will be much appreciated

[@Holocreators]

Hello Emalan, boats are not easy. You basically have a lot of ribs which are solid geometry and then you have the hull which is a NURBS surface "wrapped" around those ribs. It is definitely possible to create such a model in FreeCAD. But it will not be easy and take a lot of time. Even with professional Reverse Engineering Software, boats are challenging. But how about you send me the file, then I could give you a better advice: [e-mail]

[@emalannaidoo6187]

@@Holocreators thank you so much I will send you the STL file and iges file

[@jongz]

How can I download the GOM software. There's no download link on their site. Thanks!

[@Holocreators]

Seems like they moved the download link. Search for gom inspect free on google.

[@Jim-ei2iv]

This is very interesting. Can I use this method to scan a large object, something about 49 inches (125 cm) long by 12 inches (31 cm) wide? Its very high but I just need the bottom several inches. I looked at a handheld 3D scanner, but this seems to be too big to use one. Thanks!

[@Holocreators]

yes you can, photogrammetry can scan everything, from a mouse to the size of a planet :-)

[@tessmac44]

Excellent thanks :)

[@Holocreators]

You're welcome!

[@manelaero7709]

Excellent thank you

[@Holocreators]

Thanks Manel

[@benoymathew5593]

Hi Happy to have come to your channel. Do you have an option to convert a freeform object from .stl format to .step?

[@Holocreators]

i think fusion 360 has some automated functionality for that.

[@adrianpetrescu8583]

Thank you for sharing

[@Holocreators]

My pleasure

[@cyber4joy]

This was pretty much a manual construction with no automation.

[@Holocreators]

Yes. Freecad doesn't have a dedicated Reverse Engineering toolset yet. This is therefore a reconstruction. A conversion to NURBs surfaces could have been more automated with different software.

[@ninjaabcde]

Hi there! love your video, could you please add the list of software you used in this video? particularly the inspection software you used in the end, also is it opensource? again, thanks a lot for such great quality content.

[@Holocreators]

hi, the software is freecad. and for the deviation analysis i used gom inspect. also a free software

[@xyr1nge]

It's not converting to STEP I think? I cannot find the converted file.

[@Holocreators]

Once you have converted it in Freecad you can export it from there.

[@mjktrash]

We previously paid a great deal of money to have professional point clouds (NOT from this vendor) made of very precise and complex parts with high tolerances. Trying to create and define high tolerance geometry with MANY point clouds that are patched together and then defining precision geometry, and complex surfaces was futile at best. Combine this fact with the idea that you're scanning a manufactured part, (and rarely fresh from manufacturing and therefor deformed in various ways) but what you really want is the nominal or "Basic" dimension from the drawing and the process fails. We determined that there was little value in reverse engineering complex parts with this or similar methods if the expectation is getting accurate geometry/models from the effort.

[@Holocreators]

okay thanks for your insight.

[@geraldrodriguez5739]

Netfabb is not free

[@Holocreators]

Download the old version 5.2 thats the one I am using

[@Holocreators]

An older free Version of Netfabb I am using in the Video can downloaded here: github.com/3DprintFIT/netfabb-basic-download/releases

[@visaginas360]

Ačiū

[@Holocreators]

Thanks!

[@broderp]

I feel cheated. This is not converting anything. This is redrawing it the hard way.

[@trexinvert]

yes, 3d "tracing". so crude. easiest if done in 2d. one view or plane at a time.

[@Holocreators]

Hi, yes we have redrawn the part. If you are looking at free software there is nothing out there that could do a better job then freecad.

[@stevesloan6775]

What thev:::::!!!

[@Holocreators]

:-)