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Import Mesh

In one sentence: Load a mesh file from disk and add it as a Mesh::Feature object in the active document.

Overview

Workbench: Mesh
Menu: Mesh → Meshes → Import…
Command: Mesh_Import
Shortcut: none

Reads a mesh file and creates a Mesh::Feature in the current document, ready for visualisation, repair, or export.

Intuition

Mesh Import is the starting point for any mesh workflow: you bring an STL from a slicer, a PLY from a 3-D scanner, or an OBJ from a graphics tool into FreeCAD so it can be inspected and repaired before printing or converting to B-rep geometry.

When to use it

  • Loading an STL file for 3-D printing preparation.
  • Importing a scan mesh (PLY, OBJ) for quality inspection or reverse engineering.
  • Bringing in a mesh from another tool to combine with FreeCAD geometry.

When NOT to use it

  • Don't use it for point cloud files — use the Points workbench → Import Points.
  • Don't use it for STEP/IGES/FCStd — use File → Import or File → Open.

Step-by-step

  1. Switch to the Mesh workbench.
  2. Choose Mesh → Meshes → Import….
  3. Navigate to your mesh file and click Open.
  4. A Mesh::Feature appears in the model tree.
  5. Run Evaluate and Repair immediately to check for defects.

Supported file formats

Format Extension Notes
STL .stl, .ast 3-D printing standard; binary or ASCII
OBJ .obj Wavefront; common in 3-D graphics
OFF .off Object File Format; simple triangle list
PLY .ply Polygon File Format; scan data
SMESH .smesh SMESH mesh format
NASTRAN .nas, .bdf NASTRAN bulk data mesh
Abaqus .inp Abaqus mesh input file

Common mistakes and pitfalls

Mesh units are always millimetres

If your mesh was exported from a tool that uses inches, it will appear 25.4× too small. Scale the mesh by 25.4 after import with Scale.

Check for defects immediately after import

Almost every mesh from an external tool has some defect. Run Evaluate and Repair before any further processing.

Python API

import Mesh
import FreeCAD as App

Mesh.insert("/path/to/model.stl", App.ActiveDocument.Name)
App.ActiveDocument.recompute()

See also