Ready to Get a Quote for Your 3D Models?
Uploading your designs to Shapeways ensures you get accurate information on material eligibility, printability, and the ability to order and sell your creations in the future.
Follow These Steps to Upload Your 3D Models:
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Sign up for an Account
Create an account on Shapeways if you haven’t already. -
Log in to Your Account
Once registered, log in to your Shapeways account. -
Upload Your Model
- Hover over the Start Making button in the top-right corner of the page.
- Click on Upload Now. (Alternatively, you can go directly to the Upload Now page.)
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Choose Your 3D File
- Find the gray “Choose a 3D file or drag it here” area.
- Select your file and choose the appropriate units for your model. Keep in mind that the model can be re-scaled later.
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Upload Your File
- You can either drag and drop your file into the upload area, or click the area to open a dialogue box where you can select and upload your file.
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Proceed with Your Model
Once the model page loads, follow the prompts to finalize your upload and explore your options.
Ready to Upload Multiple 3D Models?
If you have more than one design, you can upload up to 20 models at a time from your My Models page, or directly from your model library when it's empty. Once your upload is successful, your models will be listed in your library. However, please note it may take a few minutes for them to appear. You can try refreshing the page after a minute or so to see your updated library.
File Types Accepted
Shapeways supports a variety of file types for uploading your 3D models. You can upload:
- DAE
- OBJ
- STL
- X3D
- X3DB
- X3DV
- WRL
- 3MF
- STP
- STEP
For textured files (to print in full-color materials), please upload a ZIP folder that contains both the 3D file and the texture file in one of the following formats:
- 3D files: OBJ, MTL, DAE, WRL, X3D, X3DB, X3DV
- Texture files: GIF, JPG, PNG
Please ensure the ZIP folder only contains the 3D file and texture file—without any extra folders inside the ZIP.
If your upload does not show any colors, it means something went wrong. Possible causes:
- Model is missing the textures
- Model is missing the MTL file (when using OBJ)
- Texture path is referring to a location on your computer, you can check this by opening the MTL in notepad.
Size Limits
To ensure successful uploads, please keep the following file limitations in mind:
- File size: Less than 64 MB
- Polygon count: Less than 1 million polygons
If your file exceeds these limits, you can try compressing the file into a ZIP folder or reducing the polygon count of your model.