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.stl in color (#4380)
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rockyroad_us  
#1 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 8:13:50 AM(UTC)
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Hi Gang,

I need help whether color information can be saved within the .stl file itself. I have a client that wants something in color. All my .stl files since I know have been viewed in gray in an external viewer like glc_player.

I tried changing the color to say red but no go.
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phil  
#2 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 12:42:50 PM(UTC)
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I just tried it (export to STL) and imported in another software... no color.
However if we can use/export to ACIS SAT format, the color will be there.
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rockyroad_us  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 1:21:14 PM(UTC)
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I know .sat and .stp files retain their colors. Unfortunately, my clients don't want these types.

I might have to import into another software and try that. I read there's only a few companies that embed color to the .stl.
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Jean-Francois Jacques  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 3:37:00 PM(UTC)
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Is it for 3D printer? A lot of printers can print in colors. Z Corp. Technology and FDM.
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rockyroad_us  
#5 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 3:46:24 PM(UTC)
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Originally Posted by: Jean-Francois Jacques Go to Quoted Post
Is it for 3D printer? A lot of printers can print in colors. Z Corp. Technology and FDM.


Yes. I think they want color on their prototype.
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zumer  
#6 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 4:03:37 PM(UTC)
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.stl definition is geometry and coordinate system only (an object's bounding box always has 0,0,0 origin), there's no provision for colour information that apps can go looking for.
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phil  
#7 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 6:43:49 PM(UTC)
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I just tried this long trip/way...
SFX Solid -> export as ACIS SAT v7 (in color).
Open SAT file in Autodesk Inventor trial/demo (in color) -> export as STL (auto/default in color).
Close everything.
Then open the STL file in Inventor and this item is in color.
(I think there's something about the newer binary STL format that has the color info.)
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zumer  
#8 Posted : Tuesday, June 5, 2012 10:43:51 PM(UTC)
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Inventor might add something for its own convenience, but that's Autodesk for you. Everybody dances to Autodesk's .dwg tune, but 3DSystems invented .stl and wrote the file definition. It doesn't consider colour. There is a newer .stl2 format that defines curved edges to triangles, possibly colour as well, but I couldn't name one mainstream CAD app that reads or writes it. Maybe Inventor does? ASCII and binary were defined at the same time, binary's more compact, ASCII's more-or-less human-readable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format) has notes about rogue colour-adders!
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