Working with Non–Autodesk Inventor Data - Inventor 2013 and Inventor LT 2013 Essentials - page 309

large number of formats, but the one that was created specifically for this process
is the stereolithography (STL) model.

1. Make certain that the 2013 Essentials project file is active, and then
open c14-03.ipt from the Parts\Chapter​14 folder.

2. Open the Application menu, expand the Save As menu, and click the
Save Copy As tool.

3. In the Save Copy As dialog box, change the Save As Type value to STL
Files (*.stl), and then click the Preview button.
When the preview window opens, the model will appear somewhat
faceted. You can vary the amount of smoothness in order to judge
whether a part that can be created more quickly will give you the
level of quality needed.

4. Click the Options button at the top of the window.

5. When the STL File Save As Options dialog box opens, as shown in
Figure 14.14, set Surface Deviation to .01, and click OK.



Check the minimum
resolution of your
rapid prototyping
equipment to avoid
creating models
whose surface qual-
ity cannot be met.

FIGURE 14.14 Editing STL file export options

6. Click the Show Facet Edges icon to display the edges of the model
facets, as shown in Figure 14.15.

7. Click Close to return to the Save Copy As dialog box, set a path, and
click Save to create the file.