Anyone know how to get STL thumbnail previews working under windows.
I found how to do it for Freecad and it makes a huge difference to navigating working files.
I’ve been looking for this for quite a while.
If anyone has a solution, this would make looking for one of the STLs I’ve collected MUCH easier.
If there’s not a solution, this is a product or feature that would be very popular.
It seems from your phrasing that you’re asking a question and answering it in the same post.
You found how to do it, so it’s done?
If that’s not the case and the vagueness of your second sentence means that you now have working thumbnails for freecad format files (what extension to the filename?) your next step is to determine which program you want to associate with STL files. When I installed Meshmixer, it automatically set the association for STL files and windows 7 gives previews in that manner. It’s possible that your selected program may not integrate well with your version of windows.
In Control Panel, Default Programs, look for Associate a file type or protocol with a specific program. Select the entry for .stl and use the Change program button to select your desired application. My computer shows Simplify3D and Meshmixer as the available options, but there is the always seldom sometime useless Browse button if the one you wish does not appear.
If the desired program isn’t in the list and you use the Browse button, it’s possible that you won’t get thumbnails.
@Fred_U
He found out how to get FreeCAD thumbnails, now we need STL thumbnails (and not the kind where you have to pre-make thumbnails for each STL).
@Carlton_Dodd I posted and then edited, after realizing the likely interpretation of the usage of the English language.
I have a random workaround. K-Studio from Robo3d does it. Can presumably install it and never use it to do the thumbnails. but if there are a few DLL’s that I can register to do it all the better.
FWIW, I found that on a Mac, if I export a file as ASCII, it will show a preview in finder, but if I export in binary it won’t.
On a Mac, software you install provides preview plug-ins, so what works well depends on what is installed and which plug-in is running.