DAE to STL Converter

3D print SketchUp models and other COLLADA exports: DAE to STL at the size and orientation the file declares.

  • Files stay on your device
  • Free, no sign-up
  • Units and up axis handled
  • Batch and .zip

Drop a DAE file to convert

One file, many, or a .zip

In: STL · STEP · IGES · OBJ · 3MF · GLB · glTF · PLY · FBX · DAE · 3DS · AMF · VRML · ZIP

Converted on your device. Nothing is uploaded.

    How to convert DAE to STL

    1. Drop your DAE files

      Drop .dae files with their texture images, or a .zip.

    2. Check the preview

      The model appears at the size and orientation it will have. Fix the file units, up axis or size under Size, units and orientation if needed.

    3. Choose STL options

      Binary STL by default (smallest, read everywhere). Tick ASCII only if an old tool asks for text STL.

    4. Convert and download

      One file downloads straight away. A batch gives a download per file and one .zip of all of them.

    What carries over from DAE to STL

    Worked out from what each format can store and what this converter writes. Nothing is changed silently: the preview shows the size and orientation before you download.

    Geometry Every face is kept; quads and n-gons are split into triangles.
    Color Dropped: STL cannot store color.
    Units Converted from the declared unit to millimetres, so it keeps its real size.
    Orientation Turned from Y up to Z up, so it stands on the plate in a slicer.
    Objects Merged into one surface: STL has no objects.
    Animation Dropped: the model is written in its rest pose.

    DAE to STL: what actually happens

    COLLADA files declare their unit and up axis, and the converter applies both, so a SketchUp model in inches comes out in millimetres at its real size, standing up. Every mesh is merged into one STL.

    SketchUp builds from faces, so models are often not closed solids. Check the STL for open edges before printing; SketchUp's Solid Inspector or Mesh Repair can close them.

    DAE at a glance

    COLLADA (Digital Asset Exchange) · .dae

    Stores
    An XML scene: meshes, materials, textures, animation
    Color
    Materials and textures
    Units
    Declared in the file (SketchUp writes inches)
    Up axis
    Declared in the file (Y or Z)
    File size
    XML, larger than binary formats
    Opens in
    SketchUp, Blender, Cinema 4D, older game pipelines

    COLLADA is a Khronos Group XML format for exchanging scenes between 3D apps. It is still SketchUp's main export and appears in older game and Google Earth assets.

    Open DAE files in the viewer

    STL at a glance

    Stereolithography (Standard Triangle Language) · .stl

    Stores
    Loose triangles: three corners and a normal each, binary or ASCII
    Color
    None in the standard
    Units
    None written; slicers assume millimetres
    Up axis
    Z, the slicer convention
    File size
    50 bytes per triangle in binary, about 5 times that as ASCII
    Opens in
    Every slicer, CAD tool and 3D app

    Created by 3D Systems in 1987 for the first stereolithography printers, STL is still the format every slicer and print service accepts. It describes a surface as a list of independent triangles, with no shared vertices, units, colors or scene structure.

    Open STL files in the viewer

    Tips for DAE to STL

    Solid groups

    In SketchUp, make each part a solid group before exporting.

    Scale

    Architectural models need scaling down: set a target height in mm.

    Textures

    Not needed for STL; drop just the .dae.

    DAE to STL FAQ

    Can I 3D print a SketchUp model?
    Yes, if it is a closed solid. Export DAE, convert to STL here and check the mesh.

    Does it keep the size?
    Yes, from the unit the DAE declares, converted to millimetres.

    Why is my STL not watertight?
    SketchUp faces don't always close into solids. Repair the model or the STL before printing.

    Is the converter free? Are there limits?
    Free, with no sign-up, watermark or file count limit. Batches and files of a few hundred MB work on most laptops; the only limit is your device's memory.

    Are my files uploaded?
    No. Files are read and written by JavaScript and WebAssembly in your browser and never sent to PrintPal. The STEP and IGES reader is the only extra download, once, from a public CDN.