Simplifying STL File for CCP

[chrislnt (Chris Lunt)]

I have been trying to upload a STL file into CCP with no success. I didn’t think this was going to be difficult because at the end of the day the design is just a partial sphere with a star carved into the middle (Captain America’s shield), but like always I have been proven wrong. I think the issue I am having is that the file I am using is meant for a 3D printer so it’s too complex/ large, but the top is so perfect, and I can’t find another one, that I am really hoping to use this file. The shield is meant to go into the union of an American Flag I am going to be cutting for a friend.

My questions are:

Is there something I am missing that would make this work regardless?

Is there a way to remove the underside of the shield to get this to work?

Does anyone know of anywhere to find STL files for this? (I used esty)

Any help would be appreciated,

Thank you

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

Are you sure it’s not an ASCII file? Only binary is supported:

Importing ASCII format STL files

If presented with a set of STL files in ASCII format such as: [image] which will not import into Carbide Create Pro, they must be opened in a 3rd party tool such as Microsoft’s 3D Builder: [image] and re-saved as a binary STL which will then import as expected: body_binary.stl (1.8 MB) [image]

Try opening in a 3rd party tool such as Microsoft’s 3D Builder and re-saving?

[WillAdams (William Adams (Carbide 3D))]

Here is a free file which seems okay:

Captain America Shield & Stand (detachable) by TurtleTechCreations |...

We set up a file:

which seems to import as expected:

(though the lines seem somewhat exaggerated)

Probably better with a bit of a Base Height to ensure that it doesn’t taper to nothing at the edges:

[chrislnt (Chris Lunt)]

This file seems to be a very good compromise to work with, thank you.

[Mooselake (Kirk)]

Late to the party, but take a look at meshlab, which is a Swiss army knife for STL files. It’s popular (or at least was) with the 3DP crowd, and includes mesh simplification. I’ve used it on the odd monster megabyte 3D scans sold on Etsy, reducing 50MB+ files to a handful of MB with no visible (to me, anyway) problems or quality reduction for both 3DP and CNC use. Just be sure to keep a copy of the original unaltered file

[chrislnt (Chris Lunt)]

Thank you very much for the suggestion, that sounds very helpful. I will be sure to check it out.