Export & Import Formats

CADFaber supports multiple export and import formats to fit every workflow — from 3D printing to game development to archiving your designs. This page explains every format in detail, including what information each format preserves, which formats are available in the free tier versus Pro, and how to import existing models into your project.

Export Formats Overview

When your design is ready, you can export it through the export menu in the toolbar. CADFaber offers six export options, each suited to different use cases. The table below provides a quick comparison before we dive into the details of each format.

STL Binary (Free)

STL (Standard Tessellation Language, sometimes called STereoLithography) is the most widely used format for 3D printing. Every 3D printer slicer supports STL, making it the safest choice when you want to print your model. The binary variant stores triangle data in a compact binary encoding, resulting in small file sizes and fast export.

STL files describe geometry as a collection of triangles — each triangle is defined by three vertices and a normal vector. The format does not store color information, material properties, texture coordinates, or any parametric data. Once exported as STL, your model is a fixed mesh that cannot be edited parametrically. This is why we also recommend saving your project as JSON (see below) before exporting to STL, so you can return to the editable version later.

Binary STL is the default and recommended format for 3D printing. Files are typically 5 to 50 times smaller than the ASCII variant. For a model with 50,000 triangles, a binary STL file is roughly 2.4 MB, while the ASCII equivalent would be around 15 MB. Most slicer software opens binary STL files faster as well.

To export as STL Binary, click the export button in the toolbar and select "STL (Binary)". The file is generated entirely in your browser and downloaded directly — nothing is uploaded to a server.

STL ASCII (Free)

STL ASCII stores the same triangle data as binary STL but in a human-readable text format. Each triangle is written out with its normal vector and three vertex coordinates as plain text numbers. This makes ASCII STL files much larger than binary files, but they can be opened and inspected in any text editor.

ASCII STL is primarily useful for debugging and educational purposes. If you want to understand how mesh geometry is represented, opening an ASCII STL file in a text editor lets you see every triangle. It is also useful for simple programmatic manipulation — you can write scripts that modify the coordinates directly in the text file.

For day-to-day 3D printing, binary STL is always preferred. Only use ASCII STL when you specifically need to read or process the file as text. All slicer software accepts both formats, so there is no compatibility advantage to ASCII.

OBJ (Pro)

OBJ (Wavefront Object) is a versatile 3D format that supports polygonal geometry, texture coordinates, vertex normals, and material references via companion MTL (Material Template Library) files. It is widely supported across 3D rendering software, game engines, and modeling tools.

When you export from CADFaber as OBJ, you receive two files: the .obj file containing geometry data and a .mtl file containing material/color definitions. If your shapes have different colors in the CADFaber editor, each color is exported as a separate material in the MTL file, and the OBJ file references these materials to assign colors to the correct faces.

OBJ is an excellent choice when your model needs to be imported into rendering software like Blender, Cinema 4D, or 3ds Max, or when you want to preserve per-shape color information. It is also a good format for sharing models with others who may not have slicer software, since OBJ viewers are widely available.

OBJ export is a Pro feature. It is not available in the free tier. See the pricing page for details on Pro features.

GLB (Pro)

GLB (GL Transmission Format Binary) is the binary variant of glTF 2.0, the modern standard for 3D content on the web. GLB files contain geometry, materials (using PBR — Physically Based Rendering — material properties), and can include textures, animations, and scene hierarchy in a single compact file.

GLB is the ideal format for web-based 3D viewers, augmented reality (AR) applications, virtual reality (VR) environments, and game engines like Unity and Godot. If you want to display your model on a website using Three.js, Babylon.js, or the native browser <model-viewer> element, GLB is the recommended format.

CADFaber's GLB export includes material colors from your design and optimizes the mesh for efficient rendering. File sizes are typically smaller than equivalent OBJ exports because GLB uses binary encoding and can apply compression to geometry data.

GLB export is a Pro feature. It pairs well with CADFaber's screenshot export if you want to create a thumbnail alongside the 3D file for web publishing.

3MF (Pro)

3MF (3D Manufacturing Format) is a modern file format designed specifically for 3D printing. It was created by the 3MF Consortium (which includes Microsoft, HP, Autodesk, and others) to address the limitations of STL. Unlike STL, 3MF can store color information, multiple objects in a single file, print settings, and build platform layout.

3MF files are ZIP archives containing XML data and optional texture images. This makes them compact and self-contained. Major slicer software — including Cura, PrusaSlicer, and Bambu Studio — fully supports 3MF and can read color information to assign different colors to different parts of a multi-material print.

If you have a multi-color 3D printer (like the Bambu Lab X1 Carbon with AMS or the Prusa XL with tool changer), 3MF is the preferred export format because it preserves the per-shape color assignments from your CADFaber design. Each shape's color in the editor maps to a material in the 3MF file, which the slicer can then assign to the appropriate extruder or filament.

3MF export is a Pro feature. For single-color 3D printing, STL Binary (free) is perfectly sufficient.

Screenshot (Free)

The Screenshot export captures the current viewport as a PNG image. It renders the 3D view exactly as you see it, including the model, lighting, and background. The workplane grid and UI elements are hidden during capture so the result is a clean product shot.

Screenshots are useful for documentation, social media sharing, portfolio pages, and creating thumbnails for your projects. The exported image resolution matches your current viewport size, so make your browser window larger if you need a higher-resolution image. For the best results, orbit the camera to a flattering angle and zoom to fill the frame before taking the screenshot.

The screenshot includes transparency where the background is, so you can overlay the rendered model on any background in image editing software. This is the same feature used to generate the template thumbnails on the templates page.

Project JSON (Free)

Project JSON exports your entire project as a JSON file containing all shape definitions, positions, rotations, parameters, colors, CSG operation history, and scene tree structure. Unlike mesh formats (STL, OBJ, GLB, 3MF), the JSON file preserves full parametric editability — when you import it back into CADFaber, you can continue editing every shape as if you never left.

Project JSON is your backup and portability format. Use it to transfer designs between devices, create versioned backups of your work, or share editable projects with others. The files are plain text and typically very small (a few kilobytes) since they store shape parameters rather than mesh triangles.

CADFaber automatically saves your current project to your browser's IndexedDB storage, but this data is tied to your browser on your specific device. Exporting as JSON gives you a portable file that works anywhere. We recommend exporting a JSON backup after every major milestone in your design process.

To export, click the export button and select "Project JSON". To re-import, use the import function (see below) and select the .json file.

Import Formats

CADFaber can import existing 3D files and add them to your current scene. Imported models appear as mesh objects that you can position, rotate, and use in CSG operations alongside native CADFaber shapes. The following import formats are supported.

STL Import

You can import STL files (both binary and ASCII) into your CADFaber project. The imported mesh appears as a single object in the scene tree. You can move it, rotate it, scale it, and use it in boolean operations — for example, you could import an STL file and subtract a CADFaber cylinder from it to add a mounting hole.

Imported STL meshes do not have editable parameters like native shapes. You cannot change the "width" or "radius" of an imported mesh — you can only scale it uniformly or along individual axes. For full editability, use Project JSON import instead.

STL import handles models of moderate complexity well. Very large STL files (over 500,000 triangles) may cause performance issues in the browser. If you experience slowness, try simplifying the mesh in external software like Blender or MeshLab before importing.

OBJ Import

OBJ file import works similarly to STL import. The geometry is loaded as a mesh object, and if an accompanying MTL file is available, material colors are applied. OBJ import supports polygonal geometry, which is converted to triangles internally for use in the CADFaber scene.

OBJ files can contain multiple named objects. When you import an OBJ file with multiple objects, each named group appears as a separate mesh in the scene tree. This lets you manipulate individual parts independently, which is useful when working with multi-part models from other software.

SVG Extrusion Import

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) import is a unique feature that takes a 2D vector shape and extrudes it into a 3D object. When you import an SVG file, CADFaber reads the vector paths and creates a 3D solid by extruding the 2D outline to a configurable depth.

This is incredibly powerful for creating custom logos, text outlines, decorative panels, cookie cutters, stencils, and any design that starts as a 2D shape. You can create SVG files in any vector graphics editor — Inkscape (free), Adobe Illustrator, Figma, or even by hand-coding the SVG XML. Simple shapes with clean paths work best. Complex SVGs with many nested groups, gradients, or effects may not import cleanly since only path geometry is used.

After importing an SVG, the extruded 3D shape behaves like any other object in the scene. You can move it, rotate it, and combine it with other shapes using CSG operations. A common workflow is to extrude a logo SVG and then subtract it from a flat panel to create an embossed or debossed nameplate.

Project JSON Import

Importing a Project JSON file restores a complete CADFaber project with all shapes, parameters, positions, and scene structure intact. This is the only import format that preserves full parametric editability. Use this to open projects you previously exported, to open projects shared by others, or to restore backups.

When you import a Project JSON file, it replaces the current scene. If you want to merge two projects, export both as JSON, then manually copy shape definitions from one file to the other. This is a text-based operation since JSON files are human-readable.

Best Practices

• Always save a Project JSON backup before exporting to mesh formats. Mesh exports are one-way — you cannot recover parametric data from an STL file.
• Use STL Binary for 3D printing. It is universally supported and produces the smallest files.
• Use 3MF for multi-color printing. It preserves color assignments that slicers can map to different extruders.
• Use GLB for web and AR/VR applications. It is the modern standard and is supported by all major web 3D libraries.
• Use OBJ for importing into traditional 3D software like Blender.
• When importing SVGs, simplify paths in your vector editor first. Remove unnecessary groups, convert text to outlines, and flatten transforms for the cleanest results.