Save, open, import, and export

Save an editable design

Open Menu → Download VolumeForge file, or press Ctrl/Cmd + S. The browser downloads a .vlfg file containing the editable design. Keep a copy if you want to continue later.

To reopen it, choose Menu → Open design, or press Ctrl/Cmd + O, and select the .vlfg file.

Import STEP

Choose Menu → Import STEP and select a .step or .stp file. Imported bodies do not include editable VolumeForge feature history. Check the size after import, especially if the source file does not specify units clearly.

Export a body

Select a ready body, then choose Menu → Export. Choose a format and whether to include the selected body or all visible bodies:

Format	Contents
STEP	Exact geometry for CAD exchange.
BREP	Exact Open CASCADE geometry.
STL	Geometry mesh for printing; no colors or textures.
3MF	Separate solid parts with names, explicit millimeter units, and face colors.
GLB	One file with geometry, face materials, and PBR textures.
glTF	ZIP containing a .gltf file, geometry buffers, and textures.
OBJ + MTL	ZIP containing an .obj, its .mtl, and base color textures.
USDZ	Packaged geometry, materials, and textures for USD viewers.

For mesh formats, Linear deflection (mm) sets the maximum chord deviation used to tessellate curves. Smaller values give smoother geometry and larger files. Export quality is independent of the viewport quality.

STL, 3MF, and OBJ use millimeter coordinates and Z-up. GLB, glTF, and USDZ use meter coordinates and Y-up, with physical dimensions preserved. OBJ does not declare units in a standard field, so choose millimeters when importing it elsewhere. Extract OBJ and glTF ZIP packages before importing, and keep their companion files together.

3MF requires a closed, consistently oriented manifold mesh. Open faces and shells can be exported to the visual mesh formats instead. 3MF includes face colors, but does not include texture maps or slicer settings. OBJ includes base color textures and material opacity; use GLB/glTF for PBR maps. USDZ stores each face material as a separate mesh within the model. Material support in the receiving application can affect appearance.

Visual mesh exports include supported paint textures, but do not bake shader displacement into the geometry. Wait for painted textures to load before exporting; an unloaded texture produces an error. Confirm the export when the options are set.

For the quickest STL export of a selected body, press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E. Export uses the modeling body, not the viewport mesh.