From a 3D file to a welded form

Faceted metal sculpture is a flattening problem. Every curved surface has to become a finite set of flat triangles that a table can cut and a welder can find again in a stack of two hundred parts. This is how SteelFacet handles it.

1. 01

   Upload your model

   Drag in an STL, OBJ, or GLB/GLTF. Parsing and geometry work happen entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded until you choose to save the project.

2. 02

   Dial the triangle count

   One slider drives a quadric edge-collapse reduction. Watch the form get coarser or finer in real time, and stop where the silhouette still reads but the facets are big enough to weld cleanly.

3. 03

   Set real-world size and stock

   Give the piece a target height, pick a material and thickness, and the estimate panel recalculates sheet count, weld seam length, weight, and price as you go.

4. 04

   Number every facet

   Triangles are numbered deterministically from the reduced mesh. The same numbers appear on the 3D preview, on the cut parts, and in the instruction PDF — they can never drift out of sync.

5. 05

   Flatten and nest

   Each triangle is laid flat using its own edge lengths, offset for kerf and material allowance, then rotated and packed onto 48 × 96 in sheets. Overflow rolls onto additional sheets automatically.

6. 06

   Export the pack

   A layered DXF (cut lines, etch labels, sheet outlines) plus a PDF with numbered orthographic views, the edge-match table, and a recommended weld sequence.

7. 07

   Build it — or let us

   Take the files to any laser or plasma shop, or publish the piece to the catalog and let our fabrication floor cut, tack, weld, finish, and ship it while you collect earnings.