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3DAI

WRL to STL Converter

Free VRML 2.0 / VRML97 converter for .wrl and .wrz files

Free · STL in mm, OBJ and GLB with colour · your file stays in your browser

Loading the WRL converter...

To convert WRL to STL, drop your .wrl file here, check the size in millimetres, and press Download STL. The VRML file is read in your browser, every Transform is applied, and the shapes are merged into one binary STL ready for a slicer. Need the colours? Download GLB instead. Nothing is uploaded.

How to convert WRL to STL

  1. 1

    Open the .wrl

    Drop a .wrl or .wrz (VRML 2.0 / VRML97) file on the converter, or pick it. It is read in your browser, never uploaded.

  2. 2

    Check the preview and units

    The model appears in 3D with its colours. VRML has no units, so check the size in mm and change the unit if it looks wrong.

  3. 3

    Download STL

    Press Download STL for one binary STL in millimetres, stood upright and centred for your slicer.

  4. 4

    Or keep the colours

    Download GLB to keep vertex colours, material colours and the separate parts, or OBJ with an MTL file.

What is a WRL file?

A .wrl file is a VRML file (Virtual Reality Modeling Language), a plain-text 3D scene format from the 1990s. VRML 2.0 became the standard VRML97 (ISO/IEC 14772-1:1997). A .wrz file is the same thing compressed with gzip. Its successor is X3D.

A VRML file holds shapes (triangle meshes and simple primitives such as boxes, spheres and cylinders), their colours and materials, and Transforms that place them in the scene. It is still written by 3D scanners, full-colour 3D printing software, KiCad (3D board and part models), MATLAB, SolidWorks and Blender add-ons.

Slicers and most CAD tools want STL, so a .wrl is usually converted before printing. STL holds the shape only, so the colours are lost; to keep them, convert to GLB or OBJ instead.

What the converter reads

  • VRML 2.0 / VRML97 only

    VRML 1.0 files (first line "#VRML V1.0 ascii") are not read. Export again as VRML97 or VRML 2.0.

  • No PROTO, Inline, LOD or Switch

    Custom node types (PROTO, EXTERNPROTO) stop the conversion, and shapes inside Inline, LOD or Switch nodes are skipped. The converter tells you when that happens.

  • Textures are left out

    ImageTexture images are separate files. They are ignored; the geometry and colours are kept.

  • Up to 150 MB

    Files up to 150 MB are read in the browser. Very large scans work best on a desktop browser.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A .wrl file is a VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) 3D scene: plain text that describes shapes, their colours and materials, and how they are placed. VRML 2.0 was standardised as VRML97 (ISO/IEC 14772-1:1997). A .wrz file is a gzip-compressed .wrl. 3D scanners, full-colour 3D printers, KiCad, MATLAB and SolidWorks still write it.
Open the .wrl or .wrz file on this page, check the size in millimetres, and press Download STL. Every Transform in the file is applied and all shapes are merged into one binary STL. By default the model is turned from VRML Y-up to the Z-up that slicers use and centred on the build plate; you can switch both off.
Not in the STL: STL stores shape only, so every slicer shows it in one colour. The preview shows the colours, and the GLB download keeps them: vertex colours (common in 3D scans and colour 3D prints), material colours and the separate parts. The OBJ download keeps one colour per part in its MTL file. Texture images are not kept.
VRML has no unit field. The standard says metres, but many programs write millimetres, and KiCad lets you pick mm, m, inch or 0.1 inch. The converter guesses (a model under 2 units across is taken as metres, anything larger as millimetres) and shows the size in mm. If it is wrong, choose the right unit: a 1000x mistake is metres versus millimetres, 25.4x is inches.
No. VRML 1.0 (first line "#VRML V1.0 ascii") is an older, different language from VRML 2.0, and the converter tells you when a file is VRML 1.0. Almost every program has written VRML 2.0 / VRML97 since 1997; export the model again in that version and it will convert.
Yes. KiCad exports the board with its parts as one VRML file in the unit you choose (mm, m, inch or 0.1 inch), and KiCad part models are usually in 0.1 inch. Pick the same unit here and check that the size in mm matches your board. The GLB download keeps the board and part colours.
X3D is the successor of VRML. Its .x3dv files use VRML-like text and .x3d files use XML; neither is read here. Most X3D editors can save VRML97 (.wrl), which converts. The converter also explains when a file is X3D, VRML 1.0 or another format renamed to .wrl.
Yes. The converter is free, with no signup and no watermark. Your file is never uploaded: it is read and converted in your browser, so it works for client models, private scans and unreleased boards.

More free 3D tools

KiCad, MATLAB, SolidWorks, Blender, Stratasys and 3D Systems are named only to describe where WRL files come from. The3DAI is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them; the names belong to their owners.