STL or STEP – that is the question

Choosing a file format isn't just a matter of compatibility. It's a choice between an approximate copy and a mathematical original. If you're still exporting details in STL, you're losing control over surface quality before you even hit the "Slice" button.

1. STL (Standard Tessellation Language): Polygonal mesh STL converts your model into a set of triangles. It's like a pixel image, but in 3D.

DATA_STREAM: image-591e7e

SCALE: 1.0 // 720x400

• Pros: Works with any 3D printer; huge database of ready-made models (Thingiverse, Printables).
• Cons: Approximate geometry. A round hole in STL is not a circle, but a polygon. Trying to edit STL in CAD is like trying to change text on a scanned sheet of paper.

1. STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data): Математична точність STEP stores mathematical curves and surfaces (NURBS) rather than triangles.

DATA_STREAM: image-ec44ae

SCALE: 1.0 // 1920x1080

• Pros: Perfectly smooth radii regardless of scale; easy editing (you can simply change the hole diameter in CAD); smaller file size with significantly higher accuracy.
• Cons: Not all older slicers work adequately with it, although Bambu Studio and Orca Slicer have been "in the loop" for a long time.

Let's compare

• Accuracy: STL — linear approximation | STEP — mathematical identity.
• Editing: STL — "dead" mesh | STEP — live parametric model.
• File size: STL — growing with quality | STEP — consistently lightweight.

Conclusion: STL is sufficient for artistic figurines. For engineering assemblies where bearing fit or smooth running is important — only STEP.