Hi Thomas,

> Is there any possibility that MoI will support import of STL-files
> somewhere in the near future?

Sorry no it's not likely anytime soon - STL files contain a much different kind of 3D model data than what MoI uses at modeling time.

You can export STL files out from MoI, but not import them back in again.


> Or does anyone know a good way of converting STLs to a MoI friendly format?

It's a difficult task, because STL files contain data that is made up of a whole bunch of little flat triangle facet pieces, it's a polygon based file format, not a CAD solids file format.

MoI is designed to work with structured solids, with things like a sphere being one single sphere surface, not with a sphere being made up of many thousands of separate little facet pieces.

When you export from MoI to STL format, the structured surfaces are diced up into little facets to go in the exported STL file, but it's not easy to go the reverse direction and try to reform large structured CAD surfaces out of already diced up pieces...

If you have something with a pretty low polygon count it could be possible to convert it, by using a polygon editing program to convert it to OBJ format and then one of the tools Pilou mentions above, or also the OBJ2Wireframe converter from here could do it: http://moi3d.com/wiki/Resources#Obj23dmWireframe_converter

But again the issue is that STL files contain a much different type of model data than what MoI is designed to work with for modeling, you will usually need to use a polygon modeling program to load in and work with an STL file since it's made up of little polygon facets. That's why generally STL file use with MoI is for export only, not for importing back into MoI.

- Michael