Export formats (3MF · STL · STEP)¶
At the Export step you decide which file format your model leaves the app in. There are three — each meant for a different purpose. You always download a ZIP archive in which the parts are kept separate by type (outer walls, roof, windows …).
Overview¶
| Format | For what | Where you choose it |
|---|---|---|
| 3MF | Printing in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer or PrusaSlicer | Print target "Bambu Studio", "OrcaSlicer" or "PrusaSlicer" |
| STL | Printing in every other program, on every other printer | Print target "STL export" |
| STEP | Further editing in a CAD program | Add-on — comes automatically once unlocked |
3MF and STL are mutually exclusive (you pick one print target). STEP — provided it's unlocked for your account — is added automatically on top.
3MF — for the three printing programs¶
Choose one of the three programs and you get 3MF project files. How they are built up depends on whether PrintHaus brings a print template of its own for your device:
| Device | What's inside the 3MF |
|---|---|
| The 14 Bambu Lab machines (in Bambu Studio) | A complete print project with all print settings. If a part type needs several plates, they sit as a multi-plate in one file. |
| All other devices in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer | Geometry, PrintHaus print settings and three dimensions of your device (bed size, build height, nozzle diameter), one file per build plate (…_Platte_01.3mf, …_Platte_02.3mf …). The G-code and the profile name of your printer are not included. |
- Multi-color — only on the 14 Bambu Lab machines. There, parts with two colors (e.g. a base plate, or a roof with a contrasting top layer) come as a true multi-color object with exactly one filament change. For all other devices the file is single-color.
- Nozzle and layer height are chosen along with it in the export step; they are written into the file — see Printers.
Set the printer first, then open the file
Except on the 14 Bambu Lab machines, the file contains neither the G-code nor the profile name of your printer. Set your printer in your program first and only then open the 3MF — otherwise the print is missing the start and end sequences of your device.
STL — for every other program¶
Choose the print target "STL export", enter your own build plate size in millimeters, and you get grouped STL. STL is a plain, printer-neutral mesh format that every program opens — you bring your own print settings.
- One STL per type. All parts of a type are arranged to fit your bed and placed into one
STL. If a type doesn't fit on a single plate, it's split across several files
(
_Platte_01.stl,_Platte_02.stl…).
STEP — CAD format¶
STEP is a CAD exchange format for programs like Fusion, FreeCAD or SolidWorks — not a print format. If STEP is unlocked for your account, PrintHaus drops the STEP files automatically into the export ZIP — there's no separate toggle for it:
- One assembly file — the whole house in its real position.
- One parts overview — every part laid out flat, side by side.
Both are scaled to your chosen scale.
Paid add-on
STEP is an add-on that has to be unlocked for your account. Without it, the export simply contains no STEP files in the ZIP (with no error message).
In every export ZIP¶
Whatever the format, the ZIP also contains:
model.json— your complete configuration. Via "Load project" you can fully restore your house from it at any time (colors included).eingaben.md— your settings as a readable list.- A view of your model as an image.
Scale decides the contents
At very small scales (from 1:100 on) each floor and the roof are exported as one solid body, with windows and doors only as cut-outs. See Scale for how this fits together.