An STL (stereolithography) file is a file format used for 3D printing and computer-aided design (CAD). It was developed by 3D Systems in 1987 for their first commercial 3D printers. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object without any representation of color, texture, or other common CAD model attributes. The format represents the raw surface of a model with small triangles, with more complex and detailed structures requiring more triangles to represent the model.
The main purpose of an STL file is to store information about the shape and geometry of an object. It is widely used in rapid prototyping, 3D printing, and computer-aided manufacturing, and is supported by many software packages. STL files can be generated by CAD software and exported to a 3D printing slicing program, which converts the STL file into G-code, a code that tells the 3D printer how to print the object.
