Simplify STL meshes for fewer triangles and smaller binary STL files, ready for printing and sharing.
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STL stores triangle geometry only, with no materials. This tool reduces face count through mesh simplification and writes binary STL by default, which is the practical compression path for STL. Draco and Meshopt container encoding do not apply to STL. Decimation runs locally in your browser.
| Option | What it does | Default / range |
|---|---|---|
Mesh Simplification | Reduces the number of faces and vertices using mesh simplification. Default medium strength; increasing strength shrinks file size further but may lose surface detail. Only affects geometric density, not the container format. | 50%0% – 100% · step 5% |
Simplification removes triangles, and an aggressive setting can roughen curves and fillets. Adjust the strength to match your printer's tolerance and inspect the preview. For visible curved surfaces, keep the ratio low.
Draco is a glTF extension and STL has no equivalent container format. STL size reduction comes from fewer triangles plus binary encoding, which is the practical compression path for STL files.
No, the download is a binary STL with the same base name. STL vertex compression never converts to GLB; it returns a simplified, compact STL that is ready for printing or transfer.
Yes, both variants are accepted. The output is always compact binary STL, which is much smaller than ASCII and loads faster in slicers. That saves space even before simplification is applied.
It depends on the part and your printer. For mechanically tolerant parts, a moderate ratio around 0.5-0.7 works well; for visible curves and snap-fit details, stay below 0.3. Compare this with your slicer's tolerance and check the preview before printing.
No. Simplification preserves vertex positions and the model transform, so the output STL has the same scale and units as the input. Print dimensions remain identical; only the triangle count changes.
