# How would you create a body from an STL?

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [March 14, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776 "2024-03-14T17:40:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/1 "2024-03-14T17:40:53Z")

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I know there’s no way to directly create a body from imported 3d mesh, but I’m looking for workflow advice on copying a fairly simple (though, not great quality) 3D scan.

I’ve converted it to a solid in FreeCAD to at least allow for boolean operations in Shapr, but I’m not sure that’s terribly helpful.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/a/8ae954a185236205b8175e0aab5911167a89c549.png)

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/3/9/398dbb439295ccccaca02fc9689fea835e085526.jpeg)

(sliced into pieces via Split Body tool)

My initial idea is generally just using section view and creating 4-5 sketches to loft. Is there an easier way than just manually drawing each sketch? Projecting somehow? Part of the difficulty I’m seeing in lofting sketches is the inability to fillet/chamfer sketches, so for curved intersections, making hard corners with the intention of filleting edges seems like the way to go, but that takes some prediction I’m not great at yet.

Suggestions to make my life easier?

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**Author:** ![Oregonerd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/oregonerd/32/8012_2.png) [@Oregonerd](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Oregonerd)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/2 "2024-03-14T17:51:59Z")

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Can you show us the object you scanned?

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**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/3 "2024-03-14T18:16:40Z")

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Sure. It’s just the top section of this tank:

 ![IMG_3616](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/5/85bf38720926988f30cc2cf917565b3e10e66843.jpeg)  
 ![IMG_3615](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/c/c/cc60b898a3587dd3d6c89a758816acef95bde844.jpeg)

I don’t need to capture past the bottom of the protrusion.

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**Author:** ![Oregonerd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/oregonerd/32/8012_2.png) [@Oregonerd](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Oregonerd)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/4 "2024-03-14T19:15:41Z")

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The best way (not the easy way necessarily) might be to take a top pic. Import the image into Shapr.

Measure the opening in 2 directions on the top. In shapr draw a line for X and Y measurements and use that to scale the image to fit the lines.

Then you can sketch over the image.

 ![Ref](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/1/0/10d832994c1b7e8b193a2acc0825c72bd6bff331.jpeg)

 ![ref2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/3/2/32f8728d706a05ba75710cbc9ae6aebdb53c9e79.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Oregonerd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/oregonerd/32/8012_2.png) [@Oregonerd](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Oregonerd)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/5 "2024-03-14T19:17:01Z")

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Then repeat the process with a side profile pic.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/6 "2024-03-14T21:43:42Z")

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Thanks!

I tried simple photos. It ended up being trickier than using the 3d scan for this particular model.

I realized that only one part of the cross section changed for each piece of the loft, so I just copied the sketch and modified it a few times.

Then printed test slices and tweaked geometry about ten times. 🙂

Turned out okay though

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/5/85b30f45668155d105217b163c4a5ceac2b9ca8e.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Oregonerd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/oregonerd/32/8012_2.png) [@Oregonerd](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Oregonerd)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/7 "2024-03-14T22:07:42Z")

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Looks nice

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 7:47am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/8 "2024-03-15T07:47:11Z")

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Maybe I miss something but isn’t that shape simple enough to reproduce just using measurements?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 8:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/9 "2024-03-15T20:12:06Z")

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That’s a quick rough approximation, but I was hoping for something a little closer.

Thanks though! It looks great 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/10 "2024-03-15T20:16:58Z")

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I don’t know your sizes so I’ve just make something reminding your shape 🙂  
I think having proper measurements it can be reproduced very close to original.

I have 3d scanner too very expensive one. But usually it’s much faster to go with just measurements.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [March 15, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-would-you-create-a-body-from-an-stl/30776/11 "2024-03-15T20:31:50Z")

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Oh, no criticism here. It’s just missing some of the curve that isn’t really visible in the side profile. I definitely appreciate the demonstration!

I ended up with a pretty good approximation from my sketch \> loft \> print test slices \> adjust workflow, lol. It’s not ideal from a time consumption standpoint, but considering I forgot to put my size reference card out for the 3d scan, it’ll do. I think if I were to do it over again, a radius gauge would have been extremely useful. I really need to 3d print one/a set.