Convert STL Files on Mac
STL (Stereolithography) is a 3D model format using the .stl extension. Consul converts STL files to 4 other formats, and 10 formats to STL. Rename a file's extension in Finder and Consul handles the conversion automatically.
What is STL?
STL (stereolithography) is a simple 3D format created by 3D Systems in 1987 for early stereolithography CAD software. It represents a model's surface as a raw mesh of triangles with no color, texture or units, and comes in ASCII and binary variants. STL is the ubiquitous standard for 3D printing: practically every slicer and desktop printer accepts it.
STL files are stored uncompressed. Nothing is lost to encoding, though they can take more disk space than compressed formats.
STL was developed by 3D Systems and is an open standard.
Opening STL files on a Mac
macOS doesn't preview STL out of the box. Native 3D Quick Look covers Apple's USDZ/USDC format, and opening an STL usually needs a third-party 3D viewer or slicing app.
Consul supports 14 conversions for STL
Consul is the easiest way to convert STL files on your Mac, or to turn other files into STL. Rename file.stl to change its extension, and Consul converts it automatically.