FIELD MANUAL / STL / MESH

A private STL viewer for iPhone and iPad

STL stores a surface as triangles, which makes it widely used for 3D printing, fabrication previews and quick model exchange. It normally contains geometry but no assembly tree, colours, units or design history.

PROCEDURE / 03

Open. Verify. Inspect.

A short workflow that preserves the original engineering file and makes the format limits visible before you rely on the result.

  1. 01

    Import the STL from Files

    Select a binary or ASCII .stl file from Files, iCloud Drive or a connected provider.

  2. 02

    Check orientation and scale

    Use axes, grid, orthographic view and the bounding box to understand how the mesh is oriented and how large its coordinate values are.

  3. 03

    Review the mesh

    Orbit around the object, switch wireframe or transparency and check triangle count, surface area and enclosed volume when the mesh supports those calculations.

FORMAT CHECK / HONEST SCOPE
SupportedBinary STL and ASCII STL
ContainsTriangle surface geometry
Usually missingUnits, colours and assembly names
Useful for3D-print and fabrication review

STL does not define real-world units

An STL file contains coordinate numbers but does not state whether they mean millimetres, centimetres, inches or another unit. A model that appears unexpectedly large or small may simply be interpreted with a different unit assumption.

Confirm the intended units with the source system or sender before using dimensions in a workshop decision.

Binary versus ASCII STL

Binary STL is compact and common for production exchange. ASCII STL stores triangle data as readable text and is usually larger. CadRoam supports both forms.

Neither form normally preserves names for individual assembly components. If object grouping matters, indexed OBJ or a compatible faceted STEP export may carry more useful structure.

Mesh statistics have limits

Surface area and enclosed volume depend on the mesh being suitable for the calculation. Gaps, flipped triangles, self-intersections and non-manifold edges can make a numerical result misleading.

Use the values as practical inspection information and verify critical manufacturing or compliance decisions in appropriate engineering software.

QUESTIONS / SCOPE

Before you rely on the view.

Can I view STL without an account?

Yes. CadRoam does not require an account and processes the model locally.

Does STL include millimetres or inches?

No. Standard STL coordinates are unitless, so you must know the unit intended by the exporter.

Can I place an STL in AR?

CadRoam Pro can place compatible geometry in camera AR on supported iPhone and iPad devices, using fitted scale or a chosen source-unit interpretation.

NEXT / FIELD MANUALS

More CAD workflows.

Choose the guide that matches the format or review environment you actually have.

STEP / STP

How to open a STEP file on iPhone or iPad

Open compatible STEP and STP models locally on iPhone or iPad, inspect faceted geometry and understand why some curved CAD files show metadata only.

Open field manual →MAC / DESKTOP

How to view STEP, STL and OBJ files on Mac

Use a lightweight local CAD viewer on Mac to inspect supported STEP, STL and OBJ geometry, isolate parts and create a compact PDF report.

Open field manual →AR / FIELD

How to inspect a 3D CAD model in AR on iPhone

Place compatible STL, OBJ or faceted STEP geometry on a detected surface with CadRoam Pro and understand scale, tracking and inspection limits.

Open field manual →