How to convert an STL ring to GLB for the web

What does an STL ring lack?

STL is the format of 3D printing: triangles and nothing else, with no units, parts or materials. That makes it the safest file to send a printer and a poor one for a product page.

A GLB is a mesh made for the web and AR: one compact binary file holding the meshes, their materials and how the parts fit together. A conversion can add a material, but it cannot recover detail, parts or units the STL never recorded.

How do you convert an STL in the studio?

1. Upload the STL. Drop the .stl into the studio. No account is needed to open it.
2. Give it a metal. Pick a metal preset from the right-side tools; it applies to the whole piece, as gems, metals and two-tone finishes explains.
3. Export the 3D model. Sign in, open Export, choose GLB as the 3D model format and export it. The same export writes STL, OBJ and USDZ, as export and share lists.
4. Check the file. The free GLB viewer lists every part the GLB holds and whether each was recognised as metal or stone, without uploading it.

3D model export is on from the Growth plan, and locked on the Free and Starter plans.

Why do the stones come out as metal?

An STL usually holds a single mesh, so a ring and its stones arrive as one object and take the one metal you pick. The free STL viewer shows how many parts a file holds. For stones with their own material, ask the designer for a .3dm or .glb as well: both keep separate parts, and a .3dm keeps its units. The format comparison sets out what each carries.

Will the GLB be the right size?

An STL does not record whether it was drawn in millimetres or inches, and glTF, the standard behind GLB, measures in metres. A viewer that frames the piece hides a mismatch, but AR at real size does not, so check the ring's dimensions where it will be shown.

Do you need a GLB at all?

If the GLB is only a step toward your own site, skip the file. Save the design as a project, publish it as a viewer embed from the Starter plan and paste its iframe snippet into your page or Shopify store, as a 3D jewelry viewer for your website shows. A share link, free on every plan, sends the piece to anyone.