Intraoral scan to STEP in about a minute
Upload the STL, PLY or OBJ from your intraoral scanner and get back a STEP made of smooth NURBS surfaces that engineering CAD can work with. See the result and its accuracy report free; pay only if you download.
Drop a file, or click to choose
STL · OBJ · PLY · 3MF · GLB · glTF · STEP — up to 100 MBNo file handy? no sign-up
Conversion complete Free
Why an intraoral scan needs reconstruction, not conversion
Intraoral scanners export triangle meshes — usually STL or PLY with a few hundred thousand triangles. Dental CAD/CAM software works with those meshes directly, but engineering CAD such as SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape or Rhino works with surfaces. Opened there, the STL is a heavy, faceted mesh body that is hard to section, measure against or design around.
Vertessia fits smooth NURBS patches over the whole scan and writes them to STEP. An intraoral scan is open — it stops at the gum line and at the cut edges — so the result is an open surface model, not a closed solid. That is what most design and measurement work needs. If you need a solid (for example for a printed base or a simulation), close the scan in your scan software or Meshmixer first.
Typical uses: designing appliances, trays, guides or fixtures around an arch in mechanical CAD; research and teaching; handing anatomy to engineers who don't use dental software. For everyday lab production in exocad or 3Shape you don't need STEP — those tools work with the STL directly.
What to expect — a real test
A lower-arch intraoral scan (STL, 150,000 triangles, open at the gum line), reconstructed on the live engine:
| Result | Open surface model, 706 NURBS surfaces, STEP about 5 MB |
| Time | About 35 seconds, including one automatic retry |
| Coverage | 96.9% of the scan surface |
| Mean deviation | 0.036 mm |
| Within 0.02 / 0.05 / 0.25 mm | 70% / 87% / 97% of sample points |
On this scan the first attempt (1 mm patches) missed part of an edge, so the service retried automatically with 2 mm patches and kept the better result — you see the coverage figure before paying. Your numbers will differ; the free preview shows them for your own file.
Export the scan
From your scanner software export the arch or region you need as STL, PLY or OBJ (up to 100 MB). Remove patient names from the file name.
Upload and reconstruct
Log in (free — 3 downloads included), upload, keep the default patch size. It usually takes about a minute.
Check, then download
Compare input and result side by side and read the coverage and deviation report. Download the STEP only if it is good enough for your use.
Questions
Will I get a solid or a surface?
An intraoral scan is open, so you get an open surface model (a quilt of NURBS surfaces). A closed, watertight mesh comes back as a solid. To get a solid from a scan, close it in your scan software, Meshmixer or Blender before uploading.
Which intraoral scanners work?
Any scanner or software that exports STL, PLY or OBJ. Export the full-resolution mesh; there is no need to decimate files under 100 MB.
How accurate is it?
Every result comes with a deviation report measured on your own file: coverage, mean, 95th percentile and maximum distance from your scan to the rebuilt surfaces. In our lower-arch test the mean deviation was 0.036 mm with 96.9% coverage. Decide against your own tolerance before downloading.
Can I edit it in SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Rhino or Onshape?
It imports as a surface body you can section, measure, and design parts around. It is made of hundreds of NURBS patches, so offsetting or thickening the whole quilt may need cleanup in your CAD.
Is it suitable for clinical use?
Vertessia is a general-purpose geometry tool, not a medical device, and results are not reviewed by a person. You must verify every result yourself before relying on it — see our output disclaimer.
What happens to the scan?
It is processed in Canada and deleted after conversion (within 24 hours), unless you tick the optional box that lets us keep it to improve the engine. Please remove patient identifiers from file names.
Free to convert and preview. Pay only for the STEP you keep.
Mesh conversions and STEP → mesh are free, without an account. Reconstruction (mesh → editable STEP) always runs at full quality and the 3D preview is free — one download costs one credit. Failed conversions and re-downloads are never charged.
- All mesh conversions, free
- STEP → mesh, free
- Reconstruction + 3D preview (free account)
- 3 free STEP downloads when you sign up
- Or 30 downloads for $30
- Credits never expire
- No subscription
- Small “Converted by Vertessia” note in the STEP header — geometry untouched
- 30 STEP downloads / month
- Clean STEP header
- Priority queue
- 200 STEP downloads / month
- Clean STEP header
- Priority queue
Higher volume? Team — 1,000 downloads / month for $249 — subscribe. API usage draws on the same credits. Custom volume or on-premise arrangements: info@vertessia.com