# S3D export -\> FreeCAD import error

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/s3d-export-freecad-import-error/39375>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/s3d-export-freecad-import-error/39375 "2025-09-09T20:03:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![karesz2561](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/karesz2561/32/33910_2.png) [@karesz2561](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/karesz2561)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 8:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/s3d-export-freecad-import-error/39375/1 "2025-09-09T20:03:51Z")

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Hello!

I’ve encountered that sometimes when I export a body from S3D (.step) and import it into FreeCAD, it doesn’t work quite right.

Sometimes it detects it as a normal body, but sometimes it doesn’t.

I’ll show you in the video: [Bubbles - AI Meeting Notetaker & Screen Recorder](https://app.usebubbles.com/apMvTiviMDfUnYEGhzC7as/export-import)

If anyone has encountered this, how did they solve it?

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**Author:** ![Lys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/67e7ee/32.png) [@Lys](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Lys)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/s3d-export-freecad-import-error/39375/2 "2025-09-10T13:33:20Z")

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STEP exports usually work fine, but FreeCAD can sometimes misread complex geometry or there could also be compatibility issues since FreeCAD uses different STEP libraries. Try re-exporting from Shapr3D with different STEP output formats or running check geometry in FreeCAD.