fstl is a lightweight viewer for STL files, a format commonly used to represent the surface geometry of objects intended for 3D printing. The application is designed to load and display models quickly, including meshes containing large numbers of triangles.
Unlike general-purpose 3D modelling applications, fstl concentrates on viewing rather than modifying geometry. Its simple interface makes it useful for checking the shape of a model, examining its surfaces or previewing an STL file before opening it in more specialised software.
The renderer presents models using flat shading, with individual polygon faces contributing to the appearance of the surface. Anti-aliasing helps smooth the rendered edges, while the application’s colour scheme provides a clear representation of the geometry.
Originally developed by Matthew Keeter, fstl is now primarily maintained by DeveloperPaul123. It remains a useful choice when a dedicated STL viewer is preferable to a more complex application.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Dedicated support for STL model files.
- Optimised for loading and rendering meshes containing large numbers of polygons.
- Displays models using per-face flat shading.
- Anti-aliasing improves the appearance of polygon edges.
- Uses a restrained colour scheme inspired by Solarized.
- Interactive 3D viewing allows models to be examined from different directions.
- Lightweight interface avoids the complexity of general-purpose modelling applications.
- Can be associated with STL files for opening models directly from a file manager.
- Uses Qt for its graphical interface.
- Cross-platform support – runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Website: github.com/fstl-app/fstl
Support:
Developer: Matthew Keeter, DeveloperPaul123
License: MIT License
fstl is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| 3D Model Viewers | |
|---|---|
| ParaView | Data analysis and visualization application based on VTK |
| F3D | Fast and minimalist 3D viewer desktop application |
| MeshLab | Processes and edits 3D triangular meshes |
| Online 3D Viewer | Browser-based application for inspecting 3D models |
| Mayo | 3D CAD viewer and converter |
| fstl | Viewer for .stl files. It uses Qt |
| Castle Model Viewer | Supports 3D and 2D model formats |
| fstl-e | Fork of fstl with some fancy enhancements |
| Exhibit | 3D model viewer for the GNOME desktop |
| Tatlin | 3D STL and Gcode viewer |
| voxcii | Terminal-based ASCII 3D model viewer |
| dcat | Terminal-based 3D model viewer |
| Trophy | Terminal 3D model viewer |
| term3d | Terminal-based 3D model viewer |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
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