STL (STereoLithography) file format is vastly used for 3D CAD drawings and printing. On the other hand, many other formats are more portable than STL. Here comes the requirement to render the STL format into other formats. In this article, we will discuss how to render the STL files into PDF format using Java. In addition to this, we will convert the STL files to HTML, JPG, and PNG formats within Java application using examples.
The following topics are discussed below:
Java API to View STL Files
GroupDocs.Viewer showcases document viewer Java API that allows rendering the documents into PDF, HTML, and images within the Java application. In this article, we will use this API in examples to convert the STL files into different other file formats.
You can download the JAR file from the downloads section or use the latest repository and dependency Maven configurations within your Java applications.
<repository>
<id>GroupDocsArtifactRepository</id>
<name>GroupDocs Artifact Repository</name>
<url>https://repository.groupdocs.com/repo/</url>
</repository>
<dependency>
<groupId>com.groupdocs</groupId>
<artifactId>groupdocs-viewer</artifactId>
<version>21.11.1</version>
</dependency>View STL File as PDF using Java
The high portability of PDF format often leads to the conversion of other formats to PDF. The following steps guide how to convert the STL files into PDF format in Java.
- Load the STL file using the Viewer class.
- Prepare the PDF rendering options using the PdfViewOptions class.
- Render the STL file as PDF using the view() method.
The following Java code example renders the STL files into PDF format.
View STL File as HTML, JPG, or PNG using Java
Quite similarly, you can also convert the STL files into various other formats. The following steps help you to render the STL files into HTML, JPG, and PNG formats using Java.
- Load the STL file using the Viewer class.
- Prepare the rendering options according to the intended output format:
- HTML rendering needs the HtmlViewOptions class. (You can use either embedded or external resources)
- JPG rendering uses the JpgViewOptions class.
- PNG rendering requires the PngViewOptions class.
- Render the STL file as HTML, JPG, or PNG using the view() method.
Below are the Java source code examples that independently render STL files into each format using the above-mentioned respective format options.
STL to HTML using Java
The following Java code converts the STL file into HTML format with embedded resources. Similarly, you can convert to HTML with external resources.
STL to JPG using Java
The following Java code renders the STL file into JPG image format.
STL to PNG using Java
The following Java code converts the STL file into PNG image format.
Get a Free API License
You can use the APIs for free by getting a temporary license.
Conclusion
To sum up, we learned to render the STL files into PDF, HTML, JPG, and PNG formats using the Java examples. Now, you can try developing your own STL viewing application like the Online App of Groupdocs.Viewer.
To learn more about GroupDocs.Viewer for Java, visit its documentation. For queries, contact us via the forum.
