# STL Writer

Stereo Lithography (STL)
File Extension: STL | STL
Supported Versions | Any
Platforms |
Tessellation | Supported
B-rep | N/A
PMI | N/A

The STL (STereoLithography) file format was created by 3D Systems in 1987, under the direction of Chuck Hull, who is also credited with inventing stereolithography (SLA), a foundational 3D printing technology. The format is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing, describing the surface geometry of three-dimensional objects using a mesh of triangles.

STL is a widely-used file format for representing 3D surface geometry It is commonly employed in various industries such as manufacturing, engineering, architecture, and entertainment for creating and exchanging 3D models. The STL format describes the surface geometry of a 3D object using a collection of triangular facets, providing a simple and efficient representation of complex shapes. This format is particularly suitable for applications requiring rapid prototyping, computer-aided design (CAD), and 3D printing.

Our support for STL covers reading and writing any version of the STL file format for Windows, GNU/Linux and macOS. As a tessellation-only format, we only export tessellation data.

## How to Export to STL

Our STL writer supports any version of the STL format.

To export a model file to STL format, call `A3DAsmModelFileExportToStlFile()`. The format-specific `A3DRWParamsExportStlData` is used to describe how to export it.

    A3DRWParamsExportStlData sParamsExportData = A3D_MAKE_DATA(A3DRWParamsExportStlData);
    // ... set export parameter options

    A3DAsmModelFileExportToStlFile(pModelFile, &sParamsExportData, "path/to/file.stl");

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