What to Know About the SLDPRT File Format for 3D Printing
Here’s why you’ll likely come across this file type and how to create and convert one
Engineers, designers, and manufacturers work with a lot of different file types, and one of the most common you’ll become familiar with if you’re part of the 3D printing world is an SLDPRT file. These contain worlds of information that help create a 3D model of a part and will be converted into another file type to get printed or produced. Here’s why you should be familiar with SLDPRT files and why they’re so important in this industry.
What to Know About SLDPRT File Formats
SLDPRT is shorthand for the Solidworks part file type (its extension will look like this: .sldprt), and as its name states, it’s the native format of the CAD software brand Solidworks. It uses a Microsoft Structured Storage file to keep bitmaps, metadata subfiles, proprietary binary files, and other important details all together and in a language that’s readable for 3D printers.
Solidworks and this file type were thought up by Jon Hirschtick in the early ’90s. It was meant to replace older software that was tricky to operate with systems that worked by selecting icons—which was groundbreaking for its time.
SLDPRT files are still big today because they’re familiar to global users, and you can do quite a lot with one. Think draft angle analysis, interference testing, finite element simulation, and other analyses all with one application and file type, which makes the production process much easier from start to finish.
Backward Compatibility
Although there aren’t different “types” of SLDPRT files per se, there are versions depending on the release year of the Solidworks application you’re using. Fortunately, these files and the software are built to work so that old files can be opened in new versions of the applications. However, you’ll have to convert new SLDPRT files into something like an STP file in order to open them in older releases of Solidworks.
How to Make an SLDPRT File
It’s relatively easy to create an SLDPRT file as that’s the main file format of Solidworks when you’re working within the program. Simply go into your Solidworks application and open a “new part” window. You now have a new Solidworks part file (as well as a backup of your work). Just be sure to save your work often.
How to Open an SLDPRT File
Opening an SLDPRT file is also a pretty easy process when you have the right software. They can be directly opened into Solidworks and AutoCAD 360. Simply double-click your file or right-click and select “Open” and it will pull up the file for you to view and edit. You can also open these files in eDrawings, Free-IGS Viewer, and FreeCAD but you won’t have nearly as much power to change the file—usually you can only view it in these applications.
File Converter Types
You have quite a few converters you can choose from if you need to change an SLDPRT file into something with a different extension outside of SolidWorks or AutoCAD 360:
- AnyConv
- MiniConv
- Convert CAD Files (which costs $1 per conversion)
There are some other low-cost and free CAD packages out there that will also allow you to convert files, like:
- GrabCAD Workbench
- NavisWorks (only the paid versions can convert, but you can view these files on the free version)
- FreeCAD
FAQs on SLDPRT Files for 3D Printing
There are a handful of questions that arise surrounding these files, how they work, and how they compare to other file variations. Here are a couple of the ones we get asked the most.
What’s the Difference Between SLDPRT and STL Files?
While these two file types are often either confused or talked about in the same conversation, they’re definitely not the same. SLDPRTs are much more complex because they have all the important technical design details of the 3D print-to-be, including shape, size and overall dimensions, materials to be used, colors, and any other features, like holes or curves. This is the file type you work on in the design software when you need to make edits and adjustments. STLs are similar in that they do contain a design’s info, but they just have the very basics—namely, the object’s shape, which is made up of tiny triangles. STLs will tell a printer where to put the material, and that’s about it—which is why this format is only used for printing or sharing purposes.
How Do I Convert SLDPRT Files into Another Format?
Converting SLDPRT files is pretty much the same in any software you’re using, but there might be very slight variations. In general, this is how to do it in SolidWorks or AutoCAD 360:
Open your file > File > Save As > click on the extension type you want
This will create the new version for you, but if you need any more specific info on the process with other programs, we’ve got a handy guide on SLDPRT to STL file conversion.
How Xometry Can Help
As you probably already know, 3D printing is our forte—and our passion—here at Xometry. For anything you need in relation to additive manufacturing, including what materials to use and what processes to go for, reach out to one of our representatives. If your design is ready to go, you can upload it to our Instant Quote page for a free, no-obligation quote and get your project started ASAP.
Copyright and Trademark Notice:
- SolidWorks® and eDrawings® are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.
- AutoCAD® is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, in the United States.
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