# 3D Design / 3D Scanning / 3D Modeling > 3D Modeling, Design, Scanners >  Converting Mesh to Solid

## peysera

Hi all! I'm fairly new to 3D printing, but I work as a Draftsman for a mechanical company. I use Autocad inventor, so this is what I mainly use for all my drawing and design work.

I'm not familiar with Mesh at all, and ive got a drawing I need converted to a solid so I can Edit it and 3D print it. I have attached it to this post. Ideally I need it in either STEP, DXF or a solid works part file would be fine. 

Any help on how I can easily achieve this with the program I have would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
Austin

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## fred_dot_u

I was able to import the mesh into Fusion 360, but the conversion process warned that there were too many facets. The attempt was made anyway, but the program crashed. Bringing the mesh into Meshmixer crashed a few times during the mesh reduction process, but I was eventually able to reduce the mesh by/to fifty percent.

Even though it was reduced, Fusion 360 warned me again, but did not crash. The conversion took a long time in computer terms, but eventually completed.

You requested STEP and the attached file is the zipped version of the STEP result, as the forum does not support .step files for attachments.

I hope this works for you.

If you run Windows, you can use Fusion 360 free and Meshmixer is free as well, should you require a similar task in the future.

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## peysera

Thanks Fred! I really appreciate all your effort. Unfortunately I still cant get that to work, the only parts that are solid when I import it is a few of the interior parts. I just need the exterior for a simple print. I will keep trying to see if I can get it to work. 

Thanks!!

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## fred_dot_u

Can you use/edit the STL file I've attached?

If you're running into problems, maybe a screen shot or drawing to show your objective?

I won't give up if you don't.

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## peysera

Does anyone else have any ideas for this? Ideally I just need the body to be a solid object so it can sit flat on the bed. I was going to print the wheels and add them on afterwords. 

Thanks,
Austin

EDIT: Fred, your post showed up after I posted this. Let me see what you have just attached. Thanks!!!

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## peysera

OUTBACK.jpgSo whats happening when I import into inventor and try to convert to solid is it still wont recognize it as a a solid. If I just try to print as is theres to many interior details. Also where the contours are in the body panel its reading those as voids. I have attached a screen shot of how it looks in my slicer. Like I said above what im trying to acomplish is just the exterior with solid body, Id like to delete the wheel so it sit flat and I can print and snap them on separate. I just wish I had more time to learn how to us mesh features, and the mixer. I would imagine it cant be that difficult to make all the exterior one surface, and everything inside solid without the wheels. 

Thanks so much for your help!

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## fred_dot_u

This has been an interesting project. The creator of the model apparently did so without the expectation of 3D printing, or completely ignored appropriate conventions for modeling aimed at printing.

I've run the model through a number of iterations without acceptable results. In many cases, the appearance is good, but when analysis is performed, the model is a complete disaster. There are reversed normals and uncountable non-manifold items comprising the model.

I was able to easily remove the wheels and associated parts, as well as the seats, steering wheel and other interior components. It doesn't solve the improperly joined outer surface, nor the huge (relatively speaking) gaps around the underside of the body. Equally disturbing is the inconsistently floating glazing and trim pieces.

If I had greater skill (currently nearly zero) with Blender, I might be able to track down the non-manifold portions and tug and bend and join edges to get rid of some of the problems.

It is such an intensely complex model that such a workflow is impractical, in my opinion.

The creator of the model is to be commended for creating such a detailed work of art, suitable for many things other than 3D printing.

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## peysera

Fred,
I truly appreciate your effort! Ill make due with what I have. Have a merry Christmas!

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## JustMatt

I used FreeCAD to convert your STL into a 100+MB STEP file and was able to have Solidworks begrudgingly open it.  Also uploaded it into an Onshape document.  Here's a link:

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/a1...38566c743839bf

You may be able to pare it down more easily in Onshape since their cloud servers are handling the heavy computational lifting.  I don't have time to mess around with it too much, but it's there if you want to take a crack at it.

Here's the workflow I used to convert the STL to a STEP in FreeCAD:

https://all3dp.com/2/stl-to-step-how...files-to-step/

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## Arsoy

I can't share original files, but the above folder has the files I've created (numbered in order of creation). I was given a mesh, which I converted to STL, which was then used to create everything else.speed test vidmate 123movies

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## fred_dot_u

> I can't share original files, but the above folder has the files I've created (numbered in order of creation). I was given a mesh, which I converted to STL, which was then used to create everything else.


What above folder?

Does your solution resolve the creation of non-manifold surfaces and related non-printable characteristics of the original?

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## fred_dot_u

> I used FreeCAD to convert your STL into a 100+MB STEP file and was able to have Solidworks begrudgingly open it.  Also uploaded it into an Onshape document.  Here's a link:
> 
> https://cad.onshape.com/documents/a1...38566c743839bf
> 
> You may be able to pare it down more easily in Onshape since their cloud servers are handling the heavy computational lifting.  I don't have time to mess around with it too much, but it's there if you want to take a crack at it.
> 
> Here's the workflow I used to convert the STL to a STEP in FreeCAD:
> 
> https://all3dp.com/2/stl-to-step-how...files-to-step/



As with Arsoy's post and my question, how does this resolve the non-manifold surface problem and other non-printable features of the original file? The model is loaded with individual components that do not properly join adjacent surfaces, some of them "floating" in space not touching others.

The real problem is with the original creation not having been correctly done for 3D printing. Converting it doesn't solve it, only correction by the original creator is likely to make it printable.

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## monk3947

According to my experience, maybe it is impossible to do that on this model.
For some simple models, it is ok to convert from mesh to solid ;
For complex models, it is too hard to do that.Even though you can do that,many details will be lost.
The best way is to recreate the 3d models,but it needs a lot of time.
And another way is to modify the STL file directly,of course the final file will be STL format too-but usually this is the only way.

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