stl file viewer

From: Terry Wohlers (Wohlers Associates)
To: RP-ML
Date: Friday, January 27, 1995
Subject: stl file viewer
Clay Sakewitz,
     Others have requested information on software products and utilities that
permit you to read, view and edit STL files in a Microsoft Windows environment.
 I've been meaning to develop a list of them anyway, so your message motivated
me to do it.  Here's a summary of products, listed at random:

1) Rapid Prototyping Module from Imageware (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA).  This
product enables you to view, render, detect problems such overlapping polygons,
reverse normals, detect and repair holes, cut models to create two STL files,
and so on.  It's integrated into Surfacer (Imageware's flagship product) and is
available as a stand-along product.  Surfacer and the RP Module run on personal
computers equipped with Microsoft Windows, as well as Unix workstations from
SGI, HP, IBM and Sun.  Phone (313) 994-7300, fax (313) 994-7303.

2) STL-Manager from POGO International (College Station, Texas, USA).  This
product permits you to view, render, rotate, move, assemble mutiple STL files,
automatically create support structures, and so on.  Contact Linda Wise,
marketing director, or Peter Gien, director of engineering, at (409) 764-8255,
fax (409) 696-2143.

3) As Jim Harrison pointed out, consider Solid Concepts (Valencia, California,
USA) at (805) 257-9300, fax (805) 257-9311, and Laserform (Auburn Hills,
Michigan, USA) at (810) 373-4400, fax (810) 373-4403.  It's been considerable
time since I've reviewed products from Solid Concepts, the makers of the
popular Bridgeworks software, and I'm not aware of a Windows product
specifically designed for viewing and editing STL files.  

Laserform is the US distributor for Materialise (Belgium).  Materialise offers
support structure software called MAGICS that competes with Bridgeworks. 
Please correct me if I'm wrong (Dave, I know you're listening), but I'm not
aware of Windows software from Materialise designed to view STL files, other
than MAGICS.  As I understand it, their other two products (Contour Tools and
CT Modeller System) were designed for other purposes.

4) Also consider this:  Read STL files into AutoCAD (for Windows) using an
AutoLISP routine.  Jim Ten Hoven of Kohler Company (Kohler, Wisconsin) wrote a
short AutoLISP program 2-3 years ago that reads ASCII STL files into AutoCAD. 
You can reach him at: 75143,637@compuserve.com.  The AutoLISP code was
published in the November 1992 issue of CADENCE magazine in an article titled
"STL Is the Key to Rapid Prototyping."  

5) Jim Ten Hoven made me aware of a new produced called FacetPRO by Cramer
Coil.  It's available from MasterGraphics (Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA), for $495,
phone (414) 785-9495.  The product is an ADS application that works with
AutoCAD Designer, a solid modeling product available from Autodesk.  FacetPRO
permits you to read STL files into AutoCAD and output STL files created with
AutoCAD Designer.  Designer does not come with an STL translator, which I
believe was a big mistake and a missed opportunity by Autodesk.

I hope this helps you and other rp-ml subscribers.  I recall seeing another
product or two on the market that allows you to read and view STL files, but I
don't recall their names.  Does anyone?

Terry Wohlers
Wohlers Associates