Import and export

HelioCad speaks the formats engineering actually uses. Import and export solid models as STEP and IGES, meshes as STL, OBJ, GLTF, and 3MF, and 2D geometry as DXF. Your designs travel with you, whatever tool you use next.

Open standards are a core principle: you can always get your work out in a neutral format, so nothing is trapped inside the app.

STEP is the lingua franca for exchanging solid models between CAD systems. Import a STEP file from a colleague or a supplier, work on it, and export it back out — the solid geometry survives the trip.

For sharing manufacturable parts between tools, STEP is almost always the right choice.

DXF carries 2D geometry — profiles, layouts, and flat patterns — into laser cutters, waterjets, plasma tables, and other 2D CAM. Export a sketch or a drawing view as DXF to drive those machines directly.

It is the standard hand-off for anything that cuts flat stock.

STL is the workhorse mesh format for 3D printing. Export your solid as STL and load it into any slicer to print. You can control the mesh resolution so curved surfaces come out smooth without producing a needlessly huge file.

For color and multi-material workflows, 3MF and GLTF carry richer data than STL.

Imported files are not always clean — a model from another system can arrive with gaps, tiny faces, or non-manifold edges. When geometry misbehaves, check for these issues before building on top of it.

If an import gives you trouble, re-exporting from the source as STEP with a healthy tolerance often resolves it, and HelioCad can work with the repaired solid from there.