Why won't my 3D file open (STEP, V3M, STL) and which 3D formats can I actually import?

Why it happens

Two different things get reported as "my 3D file will not open".

1. The format is not supported. The official help center lists the 3D formats the programs import: STL, DXF (only when the data is meshes or triangles), 3DS, OBJ, SKP, V3M, LWO, 3DM and WRL. It also states plainly that STEP files are not supported. STEP (.step or .stp) is the usual export from engineering CAD programs, so this catches a lot of people.

2. The file is supported but you are using the wrong door. 3D models are not opened like job files. File > Open is for job files and 2D vector files. The documentation notes, for example, that V3M clipart files cannot be opened directly or by double-clicking in Windows. A 3D model has to be imported into a job that already exists.

How to fix it

For a STEP file:

1. Open it in the CAD program that made it (or any CAD program that reads STEP).
2. Export it as STL or OBJ.
3. Import that file as below.

For any supported 3D file:

1. Create a new job or open an existing one. Import is not available without a job.
2. Use File > Import > Import Component/3D Model, or the import icon on the Modeling tab.
3. Or drag the file from a Windows folder and drop it onto the 2D or 3D view.
4. Set orientation, size and units on the form that appears, then accept.

How to confirm it is fixed

The model appears in the 3D view and is listed in the Component Tree with a name taken from the file.

Pro tips

• A DXF that imports as flat lines instead of a model contains 2D geometry, not a mesh. Import it as vectors instead.
• VCarve Pro can import and machine 3D models. For what else differs from Aspire, see the entry on the difference between VCarve Pro and Aspire.
• If a supported file fails with a memory error, see the entry on large STL imports.