Print readiness/Estimates

Filament and print cost estimator (local)

Estimate filament weight, length, material volume, cost and print time from a model and your slicer settings, without uploading the file. The Worker measures a closed mesh; changing material, walls, infill, line width, layer height, speed or price updates the estimate instantly.

ReadyNo uploadWorkerSTL · OBJ · PLY · 3MF · GLB · glTF

Filament estimate

No upload

Filament estimate

Assumes a solid, watertight model. Shell volume = surface area × walls × line width; infill fills a fraction of the remainder. Time uses effective flow = speed × line width × layer height × 0.75 plus 15% overhead—not a slicer result.

Drop a model to estimate filament

STL, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, GLB, or a self-contained glTF. The Worker measures a closed mesh; estimates update as you change material and slicer settings.

STL · OBJ · PLY · 3MF · GLB · GLTF · Estimate settings

Drop a model to estimate filament

STL, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, GLB, or a self-contained glTF. The Worker measures a closed mesh; estimates update as you change material and slicer settings.

Choose a file

Max file size: 500 MB · No upload

Estimate settings

Choose the unit used by the file; glTF/GLB often use metres.

No upload · File.slice() / ArrayBuffer → Worker → closed-mesh estimate.

How it works

  1. 1

    Drop an STL, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, GLB, or self-contained glTF file.

  2. 2

    The Worker parses the mesh and returns closed-mesh volume and surface area.

  3. 3

    Choose the model unit, material, infill percentage, wall count, line width and filament diameter.

  4. 4

    Add layer height, print speed, price per kg and currency for the time and cost estimate.

  5. 5

    Adjust settings to compare scenarios; the mesh is not reparsed.

What the numbers mean

Volume (estimated)

Volume and surface area come from the mesh. The estimate assumes a solid, watertight, consistently oriented model; an open or inverted mesh can produce a volume that looks plausible but is wrong.

Shell

Shell volume is surface area × walls × line width, capped at the solid volume. Top and bottom layers are approximated by the same shell thickness.

Infill

Infill fills a percentage of the solid volume left after the shell. A 20% infill with three walls is a different amount of plastic from 20% with one wall.

Time

Time is material volume divided by an effective flow of speed × line width × layer height × 0.75, plus 15% overhead. Travel, acceleration, cooling, supports and retractions are not simulated.

Cost

Cost is weight × price per kg. It excludes failed prints, purge material, spool waste, machine time and labor.

Limits

This is a planning estimate, not a slicer result. Shell and infill geometry, variable line width, supports, bridges and material behavior can change the real numbers substantially.

Printing notes

  • Compare the estimate with your slicer's filament and time values for a known model and adjust line width, speed and wall count to match your profile.
  • For an already hollow model, this solid-volume model of shell and infill is not appropriate; use the slicer's material estimate.
  • A higher wall count adds material mostly on the surface; a higher infill percentage adds it in the interior.
  • Estimate time is sensitive to effective flow. Measure one calibration print on your printer before using it for deadlines.

Questions

References

  • · ISO/ASTM 52900
  • · FDM material density and filament cross-section calculations