Convert SLDASM to STL: assembly and every part

Converting SLDASM to STL is what 3D printing, scan comparison and lightweight viewers need. They want a mesh of the assembly, and usually one of every part so each can be printed or inspected on its own. PDMPublisher writes the assembly STL and, with references on, one STL per part in a single job, or from a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional task.

What you get

STL (stl) is the triangulated mesh used by slicers, 3D printers, scan-to-CAD comparison and many viewers. It carries surface facets only: good for prototyping and visualization, useless for editable geometry. Pair it with STEP when the receiver needs both.

You get one .stl of the assembly. Export references to file formats individually adds one per part and sub-assembly; Convert multiple configurations adds one per configuration. That’s how print jobs are usually set up: one part per plate. Resolution, units and binary versus ASCII are SOLIDWORKS export options; PDMPublisher applies the current settings of the SOLIDWORKS running the job.

The manual way, and why it doesn’t scale

Open the top-level assembly, File > Save As, pick STL (*.stl), name it, save. That’s the active configuration only. Repeat for every part you want as its own file, and again for every configuration.

Fine for one machine. For a 200-component release redone at every revision, it’s a day of clicking and a folder that never matches the BOM. And the printer needs every part as its own file, which Save As on the assembly doesn’t give you.

Convert SLDASM to STL with the add-in

1. Open the top-level assembly in SOLIDWORKS, references resolved (Get Latest first).
2. On the PDMPublisher tab, select Settings, then Publish.
3. Set Export location: a fixed or UNC folder, or placeholders from the >... menu.
4. Set the Filename pattern, such as (FileNameWithoutExtension)-(Revision); the extension is added for you.
5. Under File formats, tick STL (stl); other ticked formats come out in the same pass.
6. Leave Export references to file formats individually off for one file of the whole assembly, or tick it for a .stl per part and sub-assembly too. No BOM template needed here.
7. Tick Convert multiple configurations with (ConfigurationName) in the filename. The Configuration Filter includes (PROD*) or excludes (*Flat*) by wildcard.
8. Tick STEP too when the receiver needs editable geometry beside the mesh.
9. Select PDMPublisher > Publish, confirm the review dialog, and check Publishing results afterwards.

In PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS, STL needs Premium. The free Community Edition does PDF, DXF and STEP only, up to 5 references per run.

Automate it as a PDM task

PDMPublisher for PDM Professional runs the same engine as a task, so the assembly becomes STL on a state change.

1. In PDM Administration, right-click Tasks, select New Task, choose PDMPublisher and name it.
2. On the Options page, set Export Location ((VaultRootFolder)\Exports\STL, no trailing backslash) and Filename; PDM variables such as ($PartNumber) work here.
3. Under File Formats, tick STL. Keep Export affected document on so the assembly itself is exported.
4. For the components too, set Template to a PDM BOM layout (name, configuration and quantity columns) and enable Export references to file formats individually.
5. Enable Convert multiple configurations and the Configuration Filter as in the add-in.
6. Pick Use this version of SOLIDWORKS. For release workflows, enable Get latest revision only; it exports the version tied to the newest revision.
7. Attach the task to a workflow transition, leave it in the right-click menu, or run it from Scheduled Items.

Settings that matter for STL

Setting	What it does	Tip
Export location	Output folder: vault, relative, UNC or outside. Created if missing.	(TopAssemblyFolder)\Exports\(Revision) works; no trailing backslash.
Filename	Static text, placeholders, custom properties or PDM variables.	(ConfigurationName) for configurations, (Revision) for released files.
File formats	Tick STL (stl); invalid formats are dropped.	Several formats per job.
Export references to file formats individually	One file per part and sub-assembly, beside the top-level export.	Task: needs a BOM Template.
Template (task)	PDM BOM layout that calculates references, configurations and quantities.	Must include <Name>, <Configuration> and <RefCount>.
Convert multiple configurations	Every assembly configuration, not just the active one.	Needs a configuration-specific filename.

Naming and folders

Placeholders resolve when the job starts, so every file is named the same way:

• (FileNameWithoutExtension)-(Revision): Enclosure-A.stl plus Lid-A.stl, Base-A.stl and so on when references are enabled.
• (FileNameWithoutExtension)-(ConfigurationName) with Convert multiple configurations: one mesh per assembly configuration.
• \\server\prototyping\(FileNameNumberRange) as the location: STL files grouped by numeric ranges of the part number for the print queue.

Customize Location (Premium in the add-in, standard in the task) gives stl its own folder. A common setup sends stl to the print server while step and pdf from the same job stay in the vault.

Tips and troubleshooting

• STL needs a Premium key, entered under PDMPublisher > License Key. The PDM task is licensed per vault, 7-day trial, every format included.
• STL resolution, units and binary or ASCII output are set under Tools > Options > Export on the computer running the job. For the task that’s its configured SOLIDWORKS version; for the add-in, the running one.
• Missing references? The job needs local copies of every reference. Get Latest first.
• Task missing or wrong references? Check the BOM Template columns. Suppressed, virtual, envelope and excluded-from-BOM components are ignored.
• Exclude *Flat* in the Configuration Filter so flat patterns don’t produce extra model files.

Availability

Available in PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS (the add-in) and PDMPublisher for PDM Professional (the task).

Documentation and related features

• Run a Publish Job (PDMPublisher for SOLIDWORKS)
• File Formats option
• SOLIDWORKS assembly documents
• SOLIDWORKS part documents
• Extension-specific export locations
• Run as a SOLIDWORKS PDM task
• Convert SLDPRT to STL
• Convert SLDASM to 3MF
• Convert SLDASM to STEP

Frequently asked questions

How do I export every part of a SOLIDWORKS assembly to STL at once?

Tick STL under File formats and enable Export references to file formats individually. Each part and sub-assembly becomes its own STL beside the assembly STL.

Does PDMPublisher export a single STL for the whole assembly?

Yes. Leave Export references to file formats individually off and you get one STL of the top-level assembly.

Where do I set STL resolution or binary versus ASCII?

In SOLIDWORKS export options on the computer running the job. PDMPublisher has no STL sub-options and applies the current SOLIDWORKS settings.

Can a PDM task produce STL files when an assembly is released?

Yes. Create a task with STL ticked, a BOM Template and Export references to file formats individually for the parts, and attach it to the release transition.