OpenSCAD only exports meshes. Drop in a .scad file or a whole project folder and get a STEP file with true planes, cylinders and holes — geometry that Fusion, SolidWorks, Onshape, FreeCAD and CAM software can measure, select and machine.
Convert a .scad file →95% of 7,378 real Thingiverse .scad files convert. What converts exactly →
Just want to see the model, no STEP? OpenSCAD viewer →
Each opens already built in your browser. Drag the Customizer sliders to resize it, then export STEP. No sign-up.
A revolved profile with a tapered hub and a bolt circle — true cylinders and cones in the STEP.
Open and export STEP →
The entry file uses an involute gear library in lib/ — multi-file projects resolve as they are.
Open and export STEP →
Size, wall, corner radius and lid fit are Customizer parameters; drag a slider and it rebuilds.
Open and export STEP →
The code can also go in the URL: the converter opens with it loaded and builds it right away — no file, no sign-up. When ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude writes OpenSCAD for you, ask it for such a link; whoever opens it sees the real geometry, can drag the parameters and export STEP.
https://app.forgent3d.com/scad#code=<CODE>One command, and the agent writes the .scad on your machine, renders it with the real OpenSCAD, checks the dimensions and hands you a link that carries the code — it opens in this converter, where the STEP is exported. No OpenSCAD install.
npx skills add forgent3d/forgent3d-skillsMesh wrapped in STEP
256 triangular faces
Forgent3D B-rep STEP
4 faces: 2 planes, 2 cylinders
STL is fine for 3D printing. For CNC machining, injection molding, a manufacturer's quote or further work in CAD you need STEP: an STL has only triangles, so a hole has no diameter and a curved face has no curvature.
Usually, yes. We test against 7,378 .scad files from Thingiverse, and 95% of them convert. Drop in the whole downloaded folder so the files they include come along.
Yes, as geometry: measure it, fillet edges, cut pockets or push and pull faces in any CAD program. A STEP file carries no OpenSCAD parameters, so for parametric changes edit the .scad and convert again.
STEP is the neutral format every major CAD and CAM package imports. The exported file contains solids with analytic faces, so holes and round faces come in as cylinders you can select and dimension.
Yes. Paste the code into the converter, or open a link of the form https://app.forgent3d.com/scad#code=<code>: it evaluates the code with real OpenSCAD in your browser, shows the geometry and exports STEP. Nothing to install, no sign-up. You can also ask the AI to include such a link in its answer.
No. Anything after # never leaves the browser, and the whole conversion — OpenSCAD evaluation and the CAD kernel build — runs in your browser too. The .scad file is never uploaded.
Why OpenSCAD has no STEP export, and what the usual workarounds cost you.
Which OpenSCAD features convert exactly, and the current limits.
Article
OpenSCAD only exports meshes like STL, so getting a STEP file takes a detour. The FreeCAD workbench, mesh-to-STEP converters, remodelling by hand, each with its own cost. Which road fits which job, and an online converter that needs no install.