How to edit an STL online: cut, resize, deform, paint and combine

Step by step

1. Import the file

   File → Import (Ctrl+I) and pick the STL, OBJ or 3MF. The part lands on the bed with its real size in mm.

2. Resize

   Drag the handles or type the width, depth and height. Check "Proportional" to keep the shape.

3. Cut or split

   With the Slice tool, cut the part with a plane and add pins, dowels or magnets so the pieces fit back together. Great for parts bigger than the bed.

4. Deform or erase

   The node tool shows a cage of points: drag them to bend the part. The eraser removes material where you pass.

5. Combine and add

   Add text, holes, screw holes or other shapes and use "Union" or "Difference" to merge everything into a single solid part.

6. Paint and download

   Paint colors right on the part and download a 3MF (with colors) or STL ready for the slicer.

Tips

• Very heavy STL files (millions of triangles) are slower: reduce them in your slicer first if needed.
• Use the Print X-ray to see overhangs, thin walls and parts outside the bed before printing.

Other guides

A free Tinkercad alternative made for 3D printing If you learned 3D with Tinkercad, you already know how to use Lok3D: drag shapes, turn some into holes and combine. The difference is that Lok3D was made for printing: what you design comes out ready for the slicer, in color, at the size of your printer. How to make a name keychain for 3D printing A name keychain is a great first project: it is ready in minutes, prints fast and makes a very personal gift. How to paint a model for multicolor printing on Bambu (AMS) With the Paint tool you pick colors right on the part, like in Bambu Studio, and the 3MF keeps the painting. How to use several plates and the right bed size for your printer Like in Bambu Studio, each plate in Lok3D is one print. Choose your printer once: the bed size is remembered for your next projects. How to make a vase, cup or curved part with sections A shape in Lok3D is a bottom outline and a top outline. Sections add outlines in between, so the wall can bulge, narrow and curve like a turned vase. How to make a custom-size box with lid for 3D printing The secret of a box with a lid is clearance: too tight and it will not close, too loose and it falls off. Here is how to get it right the first time. How to make an articulated part that comes off the printer ready Print-in-place parts come off the printer already articulated: the joints print one inside the other, with a small clearance. How to add screw holes, nut traps and magnet pockets Printed holes always come out a bit smaller. Lok3D draws each hole with the right clearance already; you just pick where it goes.