Free STEP Viewer — Open STEP & STP Files

Open .step and .stp files free in your browser, read by a real CAD kernel and normalised to true millimetres. Measure it, print-check it, export STL or 3MF.

Open a STEP file — at exactly the size it was designed.

Someone sent you a .step and nothing on your machine will open it. Drop it here: a real CAD kernel reads it in your browser, in true millimetres, so the dimensions you measure are the dimensions the part was drawn to. Then measure it, check it prints, and take it further.

Free to use · Runs in your browser · Start without an account

More than a preview of someone else’s part

STEP is the format mechanical CAD speaks. Most quick previews render it and stop; the useful questions all come after that.

A real kernel, in your browser

OwlCAD reads .step and .stp with OCCT — the same open CAD kernel desktop tools use — compiled to WebAssembly and running locally. Your file is read on your device, not queued behind someone else’s upload.

No unit guessing, at all

This is where STEP beats STL outright: a STEP file records its own units and the kernel normalises them to millimetres on read. There is no interpretation bar and no 25.4× surprise: the part opens at the size it was designed.

Measure what you were sent

Edge lengths, hole radii and diameters, true arc lengths, face areas, angles, and the smallest gap between two parts, plus bounding size, volume and triangle count. The numbers you need to make something fit a part you did not draw.

Find out whether it prints

Run the print check for thin walls, overhangs, watertightness, and fit against your printer’s build volume, auto-orient it on the plate, and see what it will weigh and cost in filament before you slice.

Cut, combine, and adapt it

Boolean the imported solid against parametric shapes: add a mounting boss, cut a clearance hole, hollow it, or build an adapter around it. Non-destructive and fully undoable, like everything else here.

Convert it to something your slicer wants

Export print-ready STL or 3MF at true millimetre scale, or OBJ and GLB for other 3D tools, plus SVG or DXF of a 2D projection for a laser cutter or CNC.

Drop in a STEP and see it properly

No download, no account needed. It opens in your browser at true size.

What happens to your file

It opens on your device, it is saved to your workspace as you work, and it exports back out in the format your slicer wants.

No upload queue

Your browser reads and renders the model itself, so it appears as soon as you drop it in — you are never queued behind anyone else’s upload, and the file does not travel anywhere before you can see it.

Saved, not discarded

Most online viewers forget your file the moment you close the tab. OwlCAD keeps the model in your own workspace and syncs it as you work, so it is still there when you come back to this browser. Create a free account and it follows you to any device, and your projects dashboard lets you delete anything you no longer want.

Exports to a real file

When you are done, export STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB or STEP — the format your slicer or your colleague actually needs, not a project file that only opens here.

Frequently asked questions

Can I open a STEP file in my browser?

Yes. Drop a .step or .stp onto the build plate and OwlCAD reads it with a real CAD kernel (OCCT), compiled to WebAssembly and running in your browser. Nothing installs, and no account is needed to start.

Will it open at the right size?

Yes, and this is where STEP beats STL outright. A STEP file records its own units, and the kernel normalises them to millimetres on read — so there is no unit guess and no 25.4× surprise. The dimensions you measure are the dimensions the part was designed to.

Can I do more than look at it?

Yes. Measure its edges, hole radii, arc lengths, face areas, and the gap between two parts; read bounding size, volume, and triangle count; run the print check for thin walls, overhangs, and build-volume fit; and cut, combine, hollow, or scale it against parametric shapes before exporting a print-ready STL or 3MF.

Does a STEP file stay editable CAD once it is open?

Not as a feature tree. OwlCAD reads the B-rep and tessellates it into one watertight solid, so you get an accurate, correctly-scaled body you can measure, cut, and print — but not the original sketches and features to re-drive. Parts you build in OwlCAD itself stay fully parametric, and those export back to STEP as true analytic B-rep.

Can I convert STEP to STL or 3MF?

Yes. Open the .step and export STL, 3MF, OBJ, or GLB, at true millimetre scale and ready for any slicer. Going the other way, an imported mesh exports to STEP as a faceted shell rather than editable analytic surfaces, so OwlCAD is not a mesh-to-CAD converter and does not claim to be.

Is the STEP viewer free?

Yes. Opening, inspecting, measuring, editing, and exporting are free forever, with no watermark and no file limit. Only AI generation is part of OwlCAD Pro.

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