Scale of STL in the Makerbot app

[pimmel]

Hello! When I insert an STL file into my Makerbot app on my macbook pro, it comes in REALLY big compared to the virtual build plate. I am running the latest firmware on my printer (Makerbot Replicator). Any suggestions would be welcomed!

Thanks,

Pat

[crychair]

Scale the part down.

Convert it from mm to inches or vice versa.

[CaptainCanardly]

that would be a mm/inch conversion going “backwards” set scaling to mm, and that will deal with it. a lot of files haven’t been properly checked in the scaling.

[shahramrobotics]

It usually happens with mismatch units. Perhaps your STL file is in mm and MakerBot is reading it as cm or inches that makes it so large. You can fix it by changing the unit in MakerBot print or manually scale it down in MakerBot desktop to its original size.

[Richard_Beck]

Yes, you need to switch to MM before you export your STL file.

[magnacarte1133]

ensure the proportion option is checked as well when scaling (if just scaling the entire object).

[Stephen_McLean]

When I have had this issue in the past it was because the model was scaled for inches, but the app is scaled for mm, or the other way around. I’d check that out. If you didn’t make the model, you’ll just have to scale it down in the app.

[DaveDelay]

Save the STL file in milimeters

[captain]

Hi there,

I have an idea of what happened.

If you click on the little i in a circle on the right in makerbot print, you can set the models units.

Since stls don’t natively have units assigned to them some authoring programs handle it in different ways.

all the best,

[makkacom]

change the units from millimeters to inches or the opposite.

[Constantine_1]

What is the size do you want for your print? you can always scale it down, but figure out what is the size you want. It will big because the physical size of the item is to big on you printing surface.

[D3Image]

Sometimes I get the reverse where the item I’m inputing is way to small depending on the units (imperial or metric) that the original model is modeled from. Sometimes it may be a matter of scaling it down 1/25.4 or up by 25.4 that solves this problem.