Solid Edge (version 16 and later)

Solid Edge software from Siemens PLM (formerly USG) supports STL output at the core level, enabling you to save both parts and assemblies as STL files. Note, however, that when saving an assembly, all of its components are included in a single STL file.1

Phase 1: Saving a model design in STL format

1. From the File menu, click Save As.
The Save As dialog box opens.

2. From the Save as type drop-down menu, select STL documents (*.stl) and click Options...
The STL Export Options dialog box opens.

3. Set Conversation tolerance and Surface plane angle to appropriate values for your model.
The lower the Conversation tolerance, the finer the tessellation.
The lower the Surface plane angle, the greater the accuracy (noticeable in small details).
As a rule, the finer the tessellation and the greater the accuracy, the larger the size of the STL file, and the longer it takes to generate it.

4. In the Output file as section, select Binary. Binary STL files are much smaller than STL files saved in ASCII format.

5. Click OK.

6. In the Save As dialog box, click Save.

1 Solid Edge is technically capable of creating individual STL files from the components of an assembly, but this functionality is not built into the program. It is achieved through the application programming interface (API), using Visual Basic scripts. This solution does not enable a visual preview of the polygon mesh before saving the STL files.