Keeping track of units

…Remember the steps it takes to make a 3D print, create…a CAD design, export to STL, then send it to the printer.…One of the troubles with this process is that it…can be challenging to maintain the right size and scale.…Because many of these 3D printing file types,…including the STL format, are a unit-less file type.…When you're working on your 3D design in your CAD program,…you'll specify a measurement system.…Either the metric system, which uses millimeters, centimeters, or meters.…

Or the imperial system, which uses inches and feet.…When you export your 3D design to an…STL file, it loses the previously associated measurement system.…An STL file containing a ten unit cube…may have originally been a ten millimeter cube or…ten inch cube.…And there's a big difference between those two sizes.…When you upload your file to a service bureau, you'll…need to specify which measurement system to apply to your file.…Many desktop 3D printers expect STLs formatted for millimeters, so you…may need to apply a scaling factor if you originally created your file using inches.…