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3DAI
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Convert STL to DXF in Your Browser

Most people who want a DXF from an STL need a flat profile for a laser cutter, a CNC router or a 2D CAD drawing. Pick a view and either the outline of the part or a cross-section at a height, and get closed polylines in millimetres. If you need the 3D shape in AutoCAD instead, choose the 3D mesh option, which writes every triangle as a 3DFACE.

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How to use it

  1. 1

    Add your STL

    Drop a .stl on the box or click to pick it, and set the unit it was made in.

  2. 2

    Choose 2D or 3D

    2D profile gives closed polylines you can cut. 3D mesh writes the whole model as 3DFACE triangles.

  3. 3

    Pick view and cut

    For 2D, choose top, front or side, and the outline or a cross-section at a height.

  4. 4

    Download the DXF

    Save it and open it in AutoCAD, LibreCAD, Fusion 360 sketches, LightBurn or your CAM program.

What to know before you convert

  • The 2D profile is written as DXF R12 closed POLYLINE loops in millimetres. Curves are many short straight segments, as in the STL; there are no arcs or splines.
  • An outline shows only what is visible from that side; pockets and inner details are not drawn.
  • The 3D mesh option writes triangles, not solids. Most CAD programs show 3DFACE meshes but cannot edit them as solid bodies; use STL to STEP for that.
  • Open or broken meshes can give cross-sections that do not close; the page warns when that happens.

Don't have a model?

Generate one from a sketch, image or text. Our AI generators give you a 3D model with an STL download for printing. They use credits; this converter does not.

Sketch to STL →Draw it, get a printable model.Image to STL →One photo of an object.Text to STL →Describe it in a sentence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keep the 2D profile option, choose the view that shows the shape you want to cut, and pick outline or a cross-section. The page writes the shape as closed polylines in millimetres, which laser and CNC software import as cut paths.
Yes, choose "3D mesh (3DFACE)". Every triangle of the STL becomes a 3DFACE entity, so the model shows up in 3D in AutoCAD and other DXF readers. It is a mesh, not an editable solid.
Millimetres. The file says so in its header ($INSUNITS), so CAD programs that read it import the drawing at the right size. Set the STL unit correctly first if your STL was made in inches.
A section only closes when the mesh is closed at that height. Holes in the STL leave gaps, and the page marks those lines as open. Repair the mesh or cut at a slightly different height.
No. The page reads the file and converts it inside your browser with the open-source three.js library. Nothing is sent to our servers, there is no account, and no credits are used. Closing the tab discards everything.