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Convert STL to OBJ for any 3D app

Bring a print file into Blender, Maya, ZBrush, Unity or a texturing tool that prefers OBJ. Drop the STL, check it, download the OBJ.

  • Opens binary and ASCII STL
  • Plain-text OBJ every app reads
  • Z-up for CAD or Y-up for game tools
  • Private: runs on your device

Updated by the

Quick answer

Updated

How do you convert STL to OBJ?

To convert STL to OBJ, read the STL's triangles and write them as OBJ vertices and faces. Kenerate's free converter does it in your browser: drop the .stl, choose whether to keep it Z-up, and download the .obj. The shape is unchanged, but the OBJ has no UVs or textures because the STL had none. Nothing is uploaded.

Key facts

Price
Free, no account
Converts
Binary or ASCII STL → Wavefront OBJ (text)
Shape
Unchanged — same triangles
Orientation
Z-up (as in the STL) or Y-up (turn Z-up off)
UVs / textures
None — the STL didn't have them
Privacy
Converted locally — no upload

Why this tool

When OBJ is the better format

STL is for printers. OBJ is what 3D apps exchange.

  • A brass compass model, half wireframe and half textured

    Opens in every 3D app

    Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, Substance and game engines all import OBJ.

    Try it
  • A clay mug render next to its wireframe

    Readable

    OBJ is plain text — handy for scripts, version control and debugging.

    Try it

Also

What else it does

  • Next step: UVs

    Once in a 3D app you can unwrap UVs and texture the model — something STL can't carry.

  • Orientation control

    Leave Z-up on to keep the STL's axes (Blender, CAD), or turn it off for a Y-up OBJ that game engines and most web tools expect.

How it works

How STL becomes OBJ

Everything happens in the page.

  • Parse

    Triangles and normals are read from the binary or ASCII STL.

  • Orient

    Optionally scale the model and change its up axis.

  • Write

    Vertices, normals and faces are written as OBJ text.

  • Download

    The .obj is saved to your device.

How to

How to use the STL to OBJ Converter

Time needed
Steps
4 steps

  1. Step 1

    Open the STL

    Drop your .stl onto the box above, or try the sample dragon.

  2. Step 2

    Preview

    Orbit and check the stats.

  3. Step 3

    Choose OBJ

    Pick OBJ. Keep Z-up on for Blender or CAD; turn it off for a Y-up OBJ for game engines.

  4. Step 4

    Download

    Click Download OBJ and import it into your 3D app.

Watch the tour · 1:48

Text, photo or multi-view to a textured GLB, nine engines, the viewer & lighting, compare engines, gallery, download & chat

Chapters

Who uses it

Who converts STL to OBJ

  • 3D artists

    Paint or remodel a printable part in a DCC tool.

  • Game developers

    Bring a printable model into an engine as a prop.

  • Scanning

    Move a scan STL into a cleanup tool that prefers OBJ.

  • Hobbyists

    Use an STL from a model site in a renderer.

Compare

STL vs OBJ

Same geometry, different strengths.

STL vs OBJ — checked 2026-10-01
STLOBJ
Best for3D printingMoving meshes between 3D apps
EncodingBinary or textText
UVs and materialsNoYes (UVs in file, materials in .mtl)
FacesTrianglesTriangles, quads, n-gons
UnitsNoneNone

File formats

The formats this tool reads and writes

What each file can hold, what it can't, and where it opens. Facts link to the format's own spec or reference page.

The formats this tool reads and writes — checked 2026-10-01
.stl · STL.obj · OBJ
Full nameStereolithographyWavefront OBJ
Made by3D Systems, 1987Wavefront Technologies, 1980s
KindTriangle mesh (binary or ASCII)Plain-text mesh
HoldsTriangle surfaces, Facet normalsVertices, faces, UVs and normals, Materials via a separate .mtl file
NoColour and textures, Units, MaterialsAnimation and rigs, Embedded textures
Best for3D printing — every slicer opens itMoving static meshes between 3D apps
Opens inCura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, BlenderBlender, Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, most slicers

Sources: Wikipedia — STL (file format) · Wikipedia — Wavefront .obj file

No file yet?

Make the model first — from one photo

Every sample in the tool above began as a single picture and was turned into a 3D model in the Kenerate 3D Studio. The engine is named on each one.

Example uses

How creators use the STL to OBJ converter

Illustrative examples of typical workflows, not customer reviews.

  • Monitor showing a radio model with a checker UV texture

    3D artist

    A 3D artist can bring a printable part into a 3D app as OBJ to unwrap and paint it.

  • Treasure chest prop in a low-poly forest game level

    Game developer

    A developer can turn a printable model into a Y-up OBJ and use it as a prop in a game engine.

  • Marble bust 3D render on a pedestal with studio lighting

    Hobbyist renderer

    A hobbyist can take an STL from a model site and render it in a 3D app with lighting and materials.

FAQ

STL to OBJ Converter questions

Is STL to OBJ conversion free?

Yes, with no account or watermark.

Link to this answer

Is my STL uploaded?

No — it's converted on your device.

Link to this answer

Will my OBJ have textures?

No. STL has no textures or UVs, so there's nothing to carry over. Unwrap and texture it in a 3D app.

Link to this answer

Will the triangles become quads?

No. The OBJ keeps the STL's triangles. Use a retopology or “tris to quads” tool in your 3D app if you need quads.

Link to this answer

Should I keep Z-up on?

Keep it on to leave the axes as they were in the STL — most STL files are Z-up, like Blender. Turn it off for a Y-up OBJ, which game engines and glTF tools expect.

Link to this answer

How do I convert STL to OBJ in Blender?

Import the STL with File → Import → STL (.stl), then export it with File → Export → Wavefront (.obj). The triangles are unchanged and there are still no UVs, so unwrap the model in Blender if you want to texture it. Or drop the STL here and download the OBJ directly.

Link to this answer

Why is the OBJ bigger?

OBJ is text, so the same triangles take more bytes than binary STL.

Link to this answer

In depth

STL to OBJ Converter, explained

What the formats really store, what changes when you convert, and how to avoid the usual print and import problems.

What you gain — and what you don't

OBJ can hold UVs, normals and material references [2] that STL cannot [1], but converting doesn't invent them. You get the same triangles in a format your 3D app handles more comfortably.

Keep going

Other 3D viewers and converters

By Last updated and reviewed

We build the Kenerate 3D Studio and these free tools. They run on three.js in your browser, so files stay on your device; every sample model is a real output of the AI engine named on it. Technical facts link to their specs and manuals.

Sources: Wikipedia — STL (file format) · Wikipedia — Wavefront .obj file · Wikipedia — FBX · Khronos Group — glTF · 3MF Consortium — 3MF specification · Wikipedia — Universal Scene Description (USD / USDZ) · Wikipedia — PLY (file format) · Khronos Group — glTF 2.0 specification · Apple — AR Quick Look · three.js — documentation · Prusa Knowledge Base — Modeling with 3D printing in mind · Prusa Blog — lithophanes and filament transparency · Polymers (2024) 16(20):2862 — FFF parameters and translucency of PLA · Wikipedia — Lithophane · W3C — CSS Values and Units Level 3 (absolute lengths) · Adobe Substance 3D — OpenGL vs DirectX normal maps · Blender Manual — Normal Map node · Wikipedia — Normal mapping · SIL Open Font License

Try the STL to OBJ Converter

Free and private — your files never leave your device. Want to make models with AI? That's the 3D Studio, on any paid plan or credit pack.

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