SolidCraft for 3D printing: from parametric part to slicer

Based on the official files guide and README, SolidCraft v0.16.2. SolidCraft does not slice; it hands the part to the slicer you already use.

On this page Workflow Export STL / 3MF Send to slicer In the web app STEP for slicers & other CAD Print-friendly modelling

Workflow at a glance

Model the part with parameters (tutorial) — wall thickness, clearances and hole sizes as named values.
File › Save As Mesh… → STL, 3MF, or 3MF with face tags.
Tick Send to slicer to open the file directly in your slicer, or save it and import it yourself.
Print, measure, change a parameter, export again.

Export STL or 3MF

Save As Mesh is in the File menu, on the Mesh tab under Modify and in a body’s right-click menu. Choose:

STL — understood by every slicer.
3MF — keeps units and is the native project format of many current slicers.
3MF with face tags — carries face information along with the mesh.

Save As Mesh dialog with STL and 3MF format choice — File › Save As Mesh… on the tutorial plate: one body selected, Format, and the Send to slicer option.

Send to slicer

With Send to slicer ticked, SolidCraft writes the mesh to a temporary folder and opens it in the slicer you pick. The list shows slicers found on your computer; Custom… adds one that isn’t detected. Slicer 3MF projects can also be imported back into SolidCraft.

In the web app

The browser app keeps designs in browser storage; exports such as STL, 3MF and STEP are downloaded like any file, then opened in your slicer.

STEP for slicers and other CAD

STEP export is AP242 with names, colours and the component tree; IGES 5.3 is also available. Slicers that import STEP can tessellate it themselves, and STEP is the format to share with Fusion 360, FreeCAD or a print service. Meshes (3MF, STL, OBJ, glTF) can be imported as mesh bodies, and constant-section meshes can be rebuilt as solids.

Print-friendly modelling in SolidCraft

Parameters for fit: keep clearances (e.g. clearance = 0.2 mm) as user parameters so one edit adapts every hole and slot for your printer.
Text and labels: sketch text uses Liberation Sans by default, or any installed font by name or a .ttf/.otf path; the README’s Raspberry Pi 4 case engraves “Pi 4” in DejaVu Sans Bold. The web build bundles a Japanese font.
Walls: use Shell for enclosures and Measure (I) to check wall thickness before export.
Material and mass: assign a material (the README example uses PETG) and read the mass in Properties to estimate filament.

3D-printable key tag with raised SolidCraft lettering — 60 × 20 × 3 mm key tag with a Ø 5 mm hole and 1 mm raised “SolidCraft” text (Liberation Sans).

Measuring a 2 mm wall on a shelled box before printing — Measure across the rim of a shelled box: 2.00 mm wall, checked before export.

Enclosure example modelled in SolidCraft, suitable for 3D printing — Official enclosure example (examples library).

Next: download SolidCraft · does it do CAM? · FAQ.