Reverse engineering software

From mesh to CAD, without leaving the engineering workflow.

InStep Studio 3D helps convert STL, OBJ, PLY, scan, and CAE mesh data into cleaner, more useful CAD-ready geometry.

Start Your Free Trial See what it does
Scroll ↓

Mesh to CAD

Start with scan or mesh data. Export something your CAD tools can use.

  • Import common polygon mesh formats such as STL, OBJ, PLY, OFF or FE Formats such as OUT, NAS or GEO.
  • Repair, simplify, section, modify, or prepare the model before export.
  • Export STEP/STP, IGES and other useful engineering formats.
Try the full workflow →
Mesh to CAD conversion example

Capabilities

A practical toolset for cleaning up and rebuilding mesh data.

Mesh editing example

Editor

Create, reverse, delete, and adjust facets directly.

Automatic mesh repair example

Automatic Repair

Resolve common mesh issues that can interfere with conversion.

Surfacing example

Surfacing

Convert organic shapes into NURBS bodies automatically or manually.

Workflow

Choose the workflow that matches the part.

Some models need a direct conversion. Others need feature detection, sketches, resurfacing, or manual NURBS construction.

  1. 1Direct 1:1 conversionFor models that should preserve the original faceted shape or where other conversions do not succeed.
  2. 2Feature detectionReplace faceted approximations with common geometric shapes in CAD generated files.
  3. 3Sketch-based reverse engineeringCreate sections, curves, and rebuilt features in your CAD application.
  4. 4NURBS resurfacingBuild smooth surfaces over organic or scanned forms.

Useful tools

More than a format converter.

Facet reduction Remeshing Subdivision Smoothing Solidify / inflate Booleans Slicing CAE mesh operations
Example reverse engineering shape created in InStep Studio 3D

Licensing

Start with a trial, then choose the license that fits.

Free Trial

$0

10-day trial of the full software. Maximum size limits apply.

Create an account

Best offer

Annual Subscription

$59

Always have access to the latest version of InStep Studio 3D.

Create an account

Perpetual License

$149

One-time fee for permanent access, including the first year of updates ($50/year annual maintenance after for latest release access).

Create an account

Enterprise options are also available. Please Contact Us for more information.

File formats

Works with multiple mesh and engineering formats.

Polygon meshes

.stl, .obj, .ply, .off

Point / scan data

.xyz and related scan workflows

Engineering export

STEP/STP, IGES, DXF (slices) and additional CAD/CAE-oriented formats

Supported file formats for InStep Studio 3D

Ready to evaluate?

Create an account and try InStep Studio 3D.

Use the trial to test your own mesh data, conversion workflow, and export requirements.

Start Your Free Trial Video Tutorials Account Login