# 3MF Viewer

> Open 3MF files from MakerWorld, Printables or your slicer without installing it. Every object on every plate, painted filament colors, real dimensions and a mesh check.

Page: https://printpal.io/tools/3mf-viewer
Updated: 2026-11-12
Use it: open https://printpal.io/tools/3mf-viewer in a browser and drop a file. Free, no account, files are processed locally and never uploaded.

A 3MF is a zip with an XML model inside: units declared, objects placed on a build plate, often with colors and print settings. Projects saved by Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer keep each object in its own file inside the zip, and many web viewers miss those and show an empty plate. This viewer follows those references, applies every object's position and rotation, and colors painted areas with the project's filament colors.

Use it to check what a download contains before opening a slicer, to read the size in millimetres, or to pull the geometry out as STL, OBJ or GLB. A sliced .gcode.3mf is a different thing: it is made for the printer, so open its toolpaths in the [G-code viewer](https://printpal.io/tools/gcode-viewer).

## How to use the 3MF viewer

1. **Open the file.** Drop .3mf files, including Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer projects.
2. **Check size and orientation.** The model stands on the plate in millimetres. Switch to inches, or change the file units or up axis if it looks wrong.
3. **Run the checks.** Read the mesh check, pick your printer to see whether it fits, and use Measure (M) or Section (X) for a closer look.
4. **Save or convert.** Take a PNG screenshot, or save the model as STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB, PLY or USDZ.

## What you can check

- Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer projects, including multi-plate files
- Painted colors (Bambu paint_color, Prusa MMU segmentation) and per-object filaments
- Real size from the unit the file declares
- One mesh check across every object
- Save as STL, OBJ with colors, GLB or USDZ

## 3MF at a glance (3D Manufacturing Format)

The 3MF Consortium (founded 2015 by Microsoft, Autodesk, HP and others) designed 3MF to replace STL for printing. Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer save whole projects in it: plates, painted colors and print settings alongside the meshes.

- **Stores:** A zipped XML model: shared vertices, objects with transforms, a build plate
- **Color:** Materials and per-triangle colors; slicers add painted filament colors
- **Units:** Declared in the file, millimetres by default
- **Up axis:** Z
- **File size:** Compressed, usually under half of a binary STL
- **Opens in:** Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer, Cura, Creality Print

## Tips

- **Several plates?** Multi-plate projects show the objects of every plate at once, where the slicer arranged them.
- **Colors look off?** The viewer uses the filament colors saved in the project. Unpainted areas take the color of the filament assigned to that object or part.
- **Want each color separately?** Save as OBJ: every color becomes its own material in the .mtl.

## FAQ

### How do I open a 3MF file without Bambu Studio?

Drop it here. The viewer reads standard 3MF and Bambu, Orca and Prusa projects in your browser. You can inspect and convert it; changing print settings still needs a slicer.

### Why does my 3MF look empty in other viewers?

Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer store objects in separate model files inside the 3MF (the 3MF production extension). Simple viewers only read the main file; this one follows the references.

### Can I convert 3MF to STL?

Yes. Save it as STL from the sidebar, or use [3MF to STL](https://printpal.io/convert/3mf-to-stl) for batches.

### Is the viewer free? Are there limits?

Free, with no sign-up, watermark or file limit. The practical limit is your device's memory: files of a few hundred MB open on most laptops.

### Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Files are read by JavaScript and WebAssembly in your browser and never sent to PrintPal. Only the code is downloaded, and the STEP and IGES reader once, from a public CDN.

## Related

- [3MF to STL Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/3mf-to-stl)
- [3MF to OBJ Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/3mf-to-obj)
- [STL to 3MF Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/stl-to-3mf)
- [STEP to 3MF Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/step-to-3mf)
- [OBJ to 3MF Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/obj-to-3mf)
- [GLB to 3MF Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/glb-to-3mf)
- [STL to OBJ Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/stl-to-obj)
- [OBJ to STL Converter](https://printpal.io/convert/obj-to-stl)
- [3D model viewer](https://printpal.io/tools/3d-model-viewer)
- [3D model converter](https://printpal.io/tools/3d-model-converter)
- [Mesh Repair](https://printpal.io/tools/mesh-repair)
- PrintPal for LLMs: https://printpal.io/llms.txt