Analyzing STL Files

Introduction

Analyzing STL files for "printability" (i.e. problems or defects), or the amount of plastic or filament needed is quite useful.

This page attempts to document solutions to this problem.

Printability Research

Analyzing for "printability" or checking for problems or defects seems easier or more common than analyzing for the amount of plastics needed.

This website analyzes for the following "printability":

• Model issues: This will indicate whether the model has any issues or not.
• Non-manifold edges: the number of non-manifold edges in the model (highlighted in red inside the editor).
• Boundary edges: the number of boundary edges in the model (highlighted in magenta inside the editor).
• Dimensions: the dimensions of the 3D model in centimeters as width, height and depth.
• Object information: the number of triangles, number of vertices and the volume of the model.

Here's another website I found that offers a similar service, and has a online demo:

• https://www.3dhubs.com/knowledge-base/fixing-most-common-stl-file-errors/

Checks for common STL errors:

• Boundary edges
• Intersecting faces
• Non-manifold edges
• Over-refined mesh {over-refined-mesh}

The also have an online printability analyzer:

• https://www.3dhubs.com/manufacture/

Looks like there's only paid solutions, rather than free open-source ones.

I also stumbled across a library called skeinforge (used by Rep-Rap see also) that converts STL files into G Code which could be useful.

Academic Research Papers

• Analysis of STL files
  • Alternative link to same paper on a different website