3D printer image files

Cults, the 3D printing platform

Welcome to Cults, the world’s leading independent website for 3D printer files. Discover and download the best 3D models for all your 3D printing & DIY projects.

Cults is a digital marketplace for 3D printing and design. Use our 3D model library to discover everything you can do with a 3D printer (FDM, SLA, DLP, SLS) event with CNC machining and laser cutting. You don’t know how to make a 3D file but you want to 3D print objects? Cults is for you! Browse our different categories and download the best 3D printer models for free, open-source or paid mode. The formats you can download are in STL, OBJ, 3MF, CAD, STEP, SCAD or DXF, DWG, SVG format, they are all 3D printable guaranteed or CNC compatible.

We are connecting 3D print files makers with people who want to use their 3D printer. Our 3D model repository acts as a real source of inspiration since the best designers share their best STL files daily to offer you their latest inventions!

On Cults you can also find a 3D printer nearby, get voucher codes to buy cheap 3D printers or filaments at best prices and also a whole series of 3D printing contests. Cults is a joyful community that brings together all 3D printing fans to dialogue and create together.

Commission system

You are a designer and you want to sell your 3D models optimized for 3D printing? Thanks to Cults you can earn money with your files STL, OBJ, CAD, 3MF, etc.! For each download, you will receive 80% of the net selling price (excluding VAT) via PayPal. Cults keeps 20% of commission which is used to finance bank fees (about 5%) and then all the costs related to the technical maintenance of the platform: hosting, bandwidth, accounting, email communications, translations, etc. There is no subscription system or fixed fee to pay. You sell, you win!

If you are still hesitating to share your models on Cults, feel free to read this article Why publish my designs on Cults? List of advantages and benefits to get an idea.

• Designers 80%
• Cults 15%
• Banking fees 5%

Upload a 3D model

download your favorite 3D printer models・Cults

Parking

Free

QUEEN FUNKO POP LOGO

€1. 06

Decorative wall fox 2D

€0.50

Tyranid Hive Guard Objective Marker (Warhammer 40k)

Free

Dog printable model

€2.82

Oldscool exhaust single

€0.60

Goku Keychain Pack

€2.47

Pharmaceutical Disintegration tester disc

€5

PUBLIC BENCH FOR DOLLS design "MADRID" - Scale : 1/8th

€8

ROLL SUPPORT UP TO 3.5KG AND 3D metal sheet spool filament holder for PLA

€1.99

Hand

€2.64

Playmobil Fan

Free

21700 sleeve obs engine

Free

Dragon Ball - Spheres with Ki

€4. 50

Universal tablet holder

€4

Ultra Goku and Mega Vegeta

€1.23

Rebel Leader Kit For Action Figures

€15

Hanging Wall Pot

€0.92

Damaged Hive Guard (Tyranid)

€1.35

Business Finance Loans | Online Finance | BFS

Free

PanelDue 7i 2040 mount

Free

Threaded closure cap M27

Free

Toolbox h2500043 locking handle (remix)

Free

Linear bearing clamp for Prusa Y-axis

Free

Threaded converter M22 - G3/4"

Free

Corta galleta de manita

€1. 47

MY HERO ACADEMIA LOGO FUNKO POP

€1.06

Vegetto and Gogeta Keychain

€0.99

Agent Accesories for Action Figures

€12

High on Life Gus Pistol Prop Replica Cosplay

€8

Sneaky big leader

€4.25

padel racket support

€3

Sarah Head Collection for Action Figures

€15

Book Page Holder

€1

Mermaid Tail Cutter

€0.92

Octopus Cutter

€0.92

Oyster Cutter

€0.92

Seahorse Cutter

€0. 92

Red telephone box WITH GLASS

€3

kid gohan dragon ball z

€5.95

Pitbull Dog Sign Sticker

Free

Desolation team upgrade pack

€5

Braille brick

€2.52 -20% €2.02

Direct Drive Creality

€6.25

Stanley Tumbler Replica

€0.91

Deadlift wedge

€3.69

Screw dispenser/bijouterie

€4.61

Kroll the Barbarian

€0.91

Various file formats for 3D printing・Cults

With the development of digital technology, 3D printing has become much more accessible today. Individuals and professionals can have their own equipment and make various print models. All that is required is a good understanding of the basic concepts, especially in relation to the respective file formats. Indeed, depending on the field and for historical or practical reasons, certain file formats are preferred for 3D printing. Here are the most common 3D printing formats and their main characteristics. nine0003

STL is short for "Stereolithography", one of the oldest file formats for 3D printing. Developed in the late 1980s, this type of format is still widely used today. It describes the surface geometry of a 3D object without displaying color, texture, or other attributes. The STL format has the ".STL" extension. These files are generated by computer-aided design (CAD) software. Programs such as FreeCAD, Blender, MeshLab, MeshMixer, SketchUp, SculptGL, and 3DSlash can be used to edit and repair STL files. nine0006

The SCAD format (.SCAD extension) is generated by OpenSCAD, a freeware modeling program used for various 2D and 3D projects. The SCAD file can be used to design 3D objects, specifying the object's geometry and positioning information. nine0005 It can only be opened with OpenSCAD .

The .BLEND format is an extension used for 3D animation and projects designed with Blender's 3D modeling tool. This file type can contain multiple scenes as well as all project elements such as objects, textures, 3D meshes and real-time interaction data, sounds, lighting data, animation keyframes, display layouts, and interface settings. Please note that only Blender can work with this 3D file format.

The 3MF file (.3MF extension) is used by various design programs to save 3D models for printing. This format includes model, material, and property data compressed using ZIP compression. 3MF files also store a print ticket, a thumbnail image, and one or more digital signatures. They can be opened with programs such as Microsoft 3D Builder, Microsoft Paint 3D, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Dassault Systemes CATIA, McNeel Rhino, PTC Creo and Ultimaker Cura .

The .GCODE file contains commands that define how the 3D printer should print. It stores instructions such as print speed, set temperature, and where to move print items. This 3D file format is created with cutting software such as Simplify3D and Slic3r. Reading can be done with Simplify3D, as well as Blaze3D, GCode Viewer and NC Viewer .

A .SKP file is a 3D model format created by SketchUp. This takes into account wireframes, textures, shadows, and edge effects. This file type is also used to store components that will be inserted into the document. Of course it can be opened with SketchUp, but also with programs like IMSI TurboCAD Pro or Deluxe, Okino Computer Graphics PolyTrans, ACCA Edificius and Trimble 3D Warehouse .

FBX is a 3D printing file format popular in the film and video game industry. Developed by Kaydara and acquired by AutoDesk, it supports geometry and appearance properties such as color and texture, as well as skeletal animation and morphs. AutoDesk will use the ".FBX" FBX file as an interchange format for its software portfolio such as AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Maya, 3DS Max, etc.

Other file types are not exclusive to 3D, but are regularly used in the field.

A .RAR file is an archive containing one or more compressed files. The compression ratio of this format is greater than that of the classic ZIP compression. It is used to compress files to reduce their size for easier transportation and storage. You can extract files from RAR archive using various unpacking programs such as RARLAB WinRAR, Corel WinZip or B1 Free Archiver .

.DWG files are databases of 2D or 3D models created in AutoCAD. They consist of information about the vector image and metadata that describes the contents of the file. There are many utilities available to open this file format, including: Autodesk Auto CAD, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Design, Autodesk DWG, AutoDWG DWGSee, CADSoftTools ABViewer, Canvas X, Adobe Illustrator, Bricsys Bricscad, etc.

Used in 3D editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Autodesk Maya, the .MTL format is used to store material settings. This file is stored along with another in .OBJ format and is used to describe how textures should be applied and the 3D coordinates they should be applied to.

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File types for 3D modeling and 3D printing

Almost everyone knows what types of files are used to save images: PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF and others. But what about volume models? It would seem that we are adding a third dimension, but the file size is often smaller than even the image of the same model. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about files for storing models and even more: conversion methods, features of each type of file, and the file format for 3D printing. nine0003

3D model storage features

Unlike images, the voxel (voxel - volumetric pixel) storage method has not taken root in the world of 3D models. Only a few craftsmen use it when creating games or in scientific research. This is due to the history of the emergence of three-dimensional graphics: unlike the appearance of photography, three-dimensional graphics were originally created on a computer, and were used for animation. Voxels are much more difficult to animate, so they began to use the polygon storage method instead: the entire model consists of many polygons - triangles that have three points. It's like creating sculptures out of paper - by putting together a lot of flat pieces, you can get something voluminous and even smooth. nine0003

Dolphin Polygon Model

Although this method of saving as polygons cannot be called raster, these methods have much in common: the impossibility of increasing the quality, the direct relationship between the quality and file weight, ease of editing. This is the most practical format for saving and using models in 3D printing, but not the only one. Next, we will look at the most popular formats for storing 3D models. nine0003

Universal 3D Model File Formats

In fact, there are as many different methods for storing 3D models as there are for storing photos and videos. But there are also universal formats that, although with some restrictions, can be opened in almost any program.

STL

Contrary to misconceptions, STL was not originally intended for artistic modeling. It was developed by the Albert Consulting Group and was intended for an early 3D printing method - stereolithography. Hence the name of the file - STereoLithography. After some time, the company openly published the format and since then it has gained immense popularity. nine0003

The STL format is widely used due to the simplicity of its structure: polygons (facets) and their normals. The former are needed to set the surface, and the latter to indicate where the outer side of the polygon is located. Therefore, this format can be considered the most universal.

Comparison of CAD model and STL model

Due to the fact that the model is defined using many triangles, it is impossible to accurately define curved surfaces, because this would require an infinite number of triangles, and therefore an infinite data store. But when used in 3D printing, this minus is not so important, since the accuracy specified using triangles is higher than the printing accuracy. nine0003

OBJ

This format is very similar to STL, but differs in the ability to apply textures, set the material and store other information. Therefore, OBJ can be called an extended version of STL and is mainly intended for artistic modeling programs such as Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3Ds Max, Meshlab and others.

OBJ model processing in Blender

STEP

Now we are moving on to the engineering side of 3D modeling, because STEP is the only format that can be opened in any engineering modeling program and freely edited with the tools built into the program. STEP was originally developed as a world standard format for storing products on a computer, and was intended for a complete development cycle of a part. That is why all serious engineering modeling and physical simulation programs can work with this format. A distinctive feature of STEP is its high accuracy: the model is created with tools that allow you to set curves using formulas. Therefore, the precision in this format is infinite: no matter how much you increase it, the curved line will remain a curve, and will not become a lot of straight lines. nine0003

Creating a model in CAD SolidWorks

To create models in STEP format, CAD (Computer-Aided Design) is used. Thanks to the ISO standard, all CAD programs can work in this format. But not all data is freely transferred from one program to another via STEP. For us, the most important thing is the transfer of model geometry, and simulations, material and other data that the STEP format does not store are of secondary importance. nine0003

Proprietary formats

This category includes file formats that can only be opened in one program - in which the files were created. They are intended only for storing projects, often they cannot be used in 3D printing. An exception is the Ultimaker Cura slicer, which has the ability to add plug-ins that allow you to open files of programs such as Inventor, Siemens NX, Solidworks and others directly from the slicer.

Engineering programs

As mentioned earlier, these programs are called CAD. Since this software is often intended for production, they also have a common file format (STEP). Some programs, often produced by one company, allow you to work in a common ecosystem. For example, in many of Autodesk's engineering software, format compatibility can be found: Fusion 360 can open a file created in Inventor. But with this method of opening, some information about the product will still be lost, for example, information about the physical simulations performed. Therefore, if the part is not developed to the end, you should not move it between different programs. nine0003

Art programs

This category includes programs created for visualization: animation, special effects, creation of figures and models for video games. Unlike the previous case, chaos reigns in artistic modeling programs. Each program has its own format, and the general STL format limits the functionality of each program to the simplest tools. But this is enough to create models that will later be printed on a 3D printer, since only the geometry of the model is important. nine0003

Gcode - format for 3D printing

Actually Gcode is more than just a file format. It is a separate programming language. But instead of executing commands by a computer, commands in this language are executed by a 3D printer. Initially, this language was developed for complex CNC machines, and a 3D printer is one of the simplest representatives of this type of device. Unlike previous formats, gcode can be easily edited manually, thereby giving commands to the printer directly, bypassing the computer. With this, you can create macros that make it easier to work with a 3D printer. You can read more about working with the gcode language and creating macros in an article on our website.

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