STL thumbnails and other 3D printing computer optimisations
37,854
Published 2023-10-24
Viewers have been asking me how to get STL files to display a preview thumbnail rather than a generic icon. In this video, we cover that as well as another piece of software which is ideal for previewing STLs files. All software in this guide is free and easy to use.
If you have similar suggestions for Mac and/or Linux, please post them in the comments.
0:00 Introduction
0:38 Pinned folders for easy access to files
1:41 STL Thumbnails
Papa’s best STL thumbnails: papas-best.com/stlthumbnails_en
3:29 STL viewer
Papa’s best STL Viewer: papas-best.com/stlviewer_en
6:09 Customisation
6:44 Troubleshooting
7:19 Conclusion
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All Comments (21)
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Not sure if you realize this, but the free and open-source Microsoft PowerToys has support for not only STL files but also for Gcode (for PNG, JPG and even QOI thumbnails!)... I know this as I wrote the support for it! 😁
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If you dont want to use 3rd party tools, you can also save 3d Viever as default software to open stl and that will allow for the build-in explorer Preview to display a preview of the model. This preview can be toggled with Alt+P
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This is awesome! I like being able to double-click and open my STL’s in Cura, but I had no way of then seeing thumbnails when working in Explorer. Bravo for sharing such a great tool! Thanks!
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Your timing is perfect! I'm getting frustrating not being able to see previews of my STLs on Windows, but how perfect it works in MacOS. Thank you!
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That's pretty cool. All I did in the past was make a screenshot of the stl in 3D Builder/Cura then place that screenshot in the same folder as my STLs and have the STL and Screenshot the same name. Then just sort by name and it will pair up all the stl files with their respective screenshot, if you set the folder settings under "view" to medium, large or extra large it will always have a thumbnail no matter where you put the STL files.
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Thank you for this informational video. I didn't realize there was a 3D Objects folder until you made this video! Thank you.
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On the Mac, use gallery or icon view in Finder. In icon view, an image of the STL is shown, and in gallery view, the STLs are displayed as a large gallery of 3D objects. You can quick look the file using the space bar and then immediately rotate and pan around the 3D object without any extra software needed.
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hey man, just noticed you are approaching half a mil subs- great job, and very much well deserved!! 😍🤩
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On Linux, I use stl-thumb (and there is a stl-thumb-kde for kde) to display thumbnails of STL files in the file browser.
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Great advice, solved a problem I didn't know I even had :). Works like a charm, thanks a thou
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Great Video , Thank you Michael, will share on my group.
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Awesome! 😊 Thanks, Michael! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
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Associating STL files with 3D viewer also has the benefit of providing an interactive preview in Explorer via the Preview pane. You just have to turn the panel on*.
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Im loving my new purple and green thumbnails!
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Great programs! I wish I knew about these when I started 3D printing! :)
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I never realised there are apps for STL thumbnails. Thanks for the tips!
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Great, helped me a lot thank you
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Windows 3D Builder is quick, does a surprisingly good job at repairing stl files and features a scale to understand size.
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Thankyou this was very helpful 🎉
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Gracias por compartir estas grandes herramientas, muy muy útiles, hace tiempo quería algo así.
