.STL file extension

How to open file with .STL extension?

Klaus Mehler, 28.08.2014
Info

.STL is the file extension developed by Microsoft Corporation for the needs of their proprietary software. The files with the .STL extension belong to the "Developer Files " category. The full name of this type of files is C++ Standard Template Library. Files with the .STL extension can be opened in several ways. The easiest is to install the manufacturer’s application. Fortunately, this is not the only method. There are many applications on the market that successfully open files with the .STL extension. Below is a list of such applications. Among them are also applications fully free of charge for home use.

C++ Standard Template Library

Ads OS Software
WINDOWS
Visual C++ Visual C++

CAD Software Solid Modelling And Prototyping

OS Software
WINDOWS
3D-Tool 3D-Tool
Rapidform Explorer Rapidform Explorer
T-FLEX CAD T-FLEX CAD
3D Object Converter 3D Object Converter
CrossManager CrossManager
Mimics Mimics

ClarisWorks Data

OS Software
MAC ClarisWorks ClarisWorks

Micrografx Designer Stylesheet

OS Software
WINDOWS
iGrafx Designer iGrafx Designer
Micrografx Designer Micrografx Designer

EBU-standard Open And Teletext

OS Software
WINDOWS
SoftNI Subtitler Suite SoftNI Subtitler Suite

Adobe Fireworks Style Library

OS Software
WINDOWS
Adobe Fireworks Adobe Fireworks

SPEFO Stellar Spectra Analysis

OS Software
WINDOWS
SPEFO SPEFO

Win2020 Screen Subtitle

OS Software

Stereolithography

OS Software
WINDOWS
TurboCAD TurboCAD
Pro/Engineer Pro/Engineer
CATIA CATIA

ROSE Online

OS Software
WINDOWS
ROSE Online ROSE Online

After downloading and installing the software in our system, files with the .STL extension should be automatically associated with the new application. With this association, the file can be opened by double-clicking the mouse. If for some reason we still cannot open the file with the .STL extension, we still have one method. It involves the attempt to open the file from the installed application. Choosing from the menu "FILE", we perform the command "Open" and the explorer window we select the file we are interested in, and then we confirm by pressing enter. This method is more time-consuming, but enables us to definitively state whether we use the correct application to open the files with the .STL extension. If we are sure of it, we then use the extended reference menu (shift key and right mouse button) and by selecting "Open With", we select the appropriate application and we permanently connect it with a file with the extension we are interested in.