About

This tool is designed for engineers, industrial designers, and 3D printing specialists who need to verify mesh integrity and calculate material usage without installing heavy CAD software. Unlike standard viewers, this application performs a deep geometric analysis of the STL file locally in your browser.

Accuracy is critical in additive manufacturing. A slight miscalculation in volume can lead to insufficient material allocation, while non-manifold edges (holes in the mesh) result in failed prints. This tool uses the Divergence Theorem to calculate the exact signed volume of the closed mesh, ensuring precise cost and weight estimation based on specific material densities.

We utilize raw WebGL and typed arrays for zero-latency rendering, capable of handling high-polygon meshes (up to 500MB) that typically crash standard web viewers.

Formulas

To determine the volume of an arbitrary 3D mesh, we treat the object as a collection of tetrahedrons formed by each triangle face and the origin. The total volume V is the sum of the signed volumes of these tetrahedrons:

N∑i=1 p₁ ⋅ (p₂ × p₃)6

Where p₁, p₂, and p₃ are the vertices of triangle i. The surface area A is calculated by summing the areas of all triangular faces:

A = N∑i=1 |AB × AC|2

Reference Data

Material	Density (g/cm³)	Typical Cost ($)/kg	Melting Point (°C)	Usage Case
PLA (Polylactic Acid)	1.24	20.00	180 - 220	Standard prototyping, decorative parts
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)	1.04	22.00	230 - 250	Functional parts, heat resistance
PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol)	1.27	25.00	230 - 250	Durable, food safe containers
TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)	1.21	35.00	210 - 230	Flexible parts, phone cases
Nylon (Polyamide)	1.15	55.00	240 - 260	High mechanical stress, gears
ASA (Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate)	1.07	30.00	240 - 260	Outdoor UV stability
Polycarbonate (PC)	1.20	60.00	270 - 310	Extreme strength, transparent
Standard Resin (SLA)	1.12	40.00	N/A (UV Cure)	High detail figures
Castable Wax Resin	1.05	120.00	N/A (UV Cure)	Jewelry casting
Carbon Fiber Reinforced PLA	1.30	45.00	190 - 230	Stiff structural parts
Aluminum (AlSi10Mg)	2.67	150.00	660	SLS Metal Printing, Aerospace
Titanium (Ti6Al4V)	4.43	400.00	1600	Medical implants, lightweight structures

Frequently Asked Questions

A negative volume typically indicates that the surface normals of your mesh are inverted (pointing inwards) or that the mesh is non-manifold (has holes or self-intersections). In 3D printing, normals must point outward for the slicer to define the "inside" of the object correctly.

No. All processing happens locally in your browser using the FileReader API and WebGL. Your proprietary designs never leave your device, ensuring complete data privacy.

This tool uses memory-efficient TypedArrays, allowing it to handle files up to 500MB on most modern desktops. Mobile devices may have lower limits (approx. 50-100MB) due to strict RAM constraints imposed by mobile operating systems.

Yes. Select "Standard Resin" or "Tough Resin" from the material dropdown. The tool calculates the solid volume. If your model is hollowed, the viewer calculates the volume of the shell, provided the inner walls are properly modeled in the STL.