InStep

Far from being a simple conversion tool, InStep is a full-featured professional graphics converter that transforms STL files into the STEP standard.

Previously released as STL2STEP, InStep has become a fully-fledged conversion tool with a wide array of error correction and visualization features.

STereo Lithography files (or STL) is not the only CAD format supported by InStep – actually, you can also load OBJ, DAE, VRML, X3D, and GDML files and turn them into STEP files that can be viewed in a variety of software tools. This new version of the program has optimized the size of the resulting STEP files without any loss in the original quality.

The program comes in four flavors, depending on who is going to use it and what for. Thus, you have a basic version (aimed at students and hobbyists) with just the functionality required to view and convert the various CAD formats into STEP files. The Design CL, Design, and FE versions are mainly aimed at engineers, designers, and analysts, and they incorporate various advanced features, from FE/CAE import and export of files to Facet and Polygon operations, among others.

The program’s interface is a practical and neat one, with a high-quality viewer to check the input designs from any imaginable position and angle before turning them into STEP files. You can rotate and turn the original 3D design in a simple and intuitive way, and edit some of its parameters to make it look exactly as you want it to.

Though the conversion process itself can be easily performed by all kinds of users, it is engineers and professional designers that will make the most of InStep by making use of its many editing features.