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Exporting overview
Click Export above the viewport. The dropdown groups every format into three buckets:
- CAD / Engineering → STEP, DXF, SketchUp
- 3D / Web → GLB, DAE, OBJ, STL, 3MF
- Image → PNG
To export one part or sub-assembly instead, click it in the viewport and use Export selection in the Selection panel. The same nine formats are available. CAD and 3D files contain only the selected geometry while keeping its position and orientation; a selection PNG hides the rest of the model and frames the selected geometry. Shift-click several parts first to export them together.
The export menus, print-template PDF dialog, and parts-list CSV controls show “AI-generated output is not guaranteed to be accurate. Verify before use.” Independently check dimensions, fit, and safety before manufacturing or using a design; downloading a file does not certify or validate it for production or safety-critical use.
The decision table
If you know what you're sending the file to, this is the shortcut.
| Downstream tool / use case | Best format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fusion 360, SolidWorks, FreeCAD, Onshape | STEP | Parametric CAD, colors preserved per surface. |
| AutoCAD, BricsCAD, draftspersons | DXF | The industry-standard 2D/3D interchange. |
| CNC, laser cutting, plasma cutting | DXF | Toolpath software all reads DXF. |
| SketchUp Free | DAE | Native import with colors. STEP is Pro-only. |
| SketchUp Pro / Studio | STEP | Parametric, faithful, scales perfectly. |
| SketchUp desktop | SketchUp (.skp) | Opens directly as editable faces. |
| Blender, Modo, Cinema 4D, Maya | OBJ + MTL | Classic mesh interchange with materials and textures. |
| Three.js, Babylon.js, web viewers, AR | GLB | The web 3D standard. Single file, full PBR. |
| 3D printing | STL | What every slicer expects. Geometry only. |
| 3D printing (millimetre-native) | 3MF | Same geometry as STL but millimetre units — no ×1000 import-scale correction in the slicer. |
| Renderer (V-Ray, Corona, Cycles) | GLB or OBJ + MTL | GLB carries PBR; OBJ + MTL is the universal fallback. |
| Client emails / slide decks / Pinterest | PNG | Free. Looks great. |
| A fabricator or cabinetmaker who wants drawings | STEP (geometry) + PNG (intent) | STEP for the dimensions and per-surface colors; PNG so they know what you mean. |
What's free vs paid
The table below describes web-app downloads. Developer API downloads are available during the trial without a purchase, using the same format serializers.
| Format | Free for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Everyone, always | Free |
| All others (STEP, DXF, SketchUp, GLB, DAE, OBJ, STL, 3MF) | Users who have topped up at least once, with a balance of −10 credits or higher | Free once unlocked |
The first time you click any non-PNG export, whether for the whole model or a selection, a paywall dialog appears explaining the gate. If you have not signed in, it walks you through Google sign-in. If you are signed in but on the free trial, it walks you through a top-up. Minimum top-up is $10 = 1,000 credits (see Top-up).
Once you've topped up, the paid entitlement stays on your account — there is no recurring subscription, expiry, or per-export charge. The small chat settlement grace margin does not suspend downloads. A balance below −10 credits temporarily suspends downloads until it is raised to that threshold.
Content-safety controls apply separately from billing. A blocked project cannot be downloaded in any project-derived format. The output disclaimer applies to every design and does not replace professional review and testing. See Writing prompts and the Terms of Service.
What travels between formats
Not every format carries every detail. The columns below say what survives:
| Format | Geometry | Color | Textures | Parametric | Animation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEP | ✓ (B-rep solid) | ✓ (per surface) | ✗ | ✗ (baked) | ✗ |
| DXF | ✓ (3DFACE triangles) | ✓ (per layer, true RGB) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SketchUp (.skp) | ✓ (editable faces) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| GLB | ✓ (mesh) | ✓ | ✓ (full PBR) | ✗ | ✗ |
| DAE | ✓ (mesh) | ✓ (diffuse) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| OBJ + MTL | ✓ (mesh) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| STL | ✓ (mesh) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| 3MF | ✓ (mesh) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| PNG | ✗ (pixels) | ✓ (rendered) | ✓ (rendered) | ✗ | ✗ |
Nothing exports "parametric." Your sliders live in Prompt2CAD; the exported file is the geometry at whatever values were set when you hit Export. To send the same piece in two sizes, export it twice — drag the slider in between.
SketchUp export writes the visible model as individual faces. It opens directly in SketchUp, but does not preserve Prompt2CAD sliders, material textures, or reusable components.
Units
| Format | Units |
|---|---|
| STEP | Millimeters |
| DXF | Millimeters ($INSUNITS = 4) |
| GLB, OBJ, DAE, STL | Meters |
| SketchUp (.skp) | Inches |
| 3MF | Millimeters |
| PNG | Pixels |
Everything inside Prompt2CAD is meters; the CAD exporters do the meters → millimeters conversion automatically. If your downstream tool reads the file as meters when it should be millimeters (or vice versa), check its import dialog — most CAD tools have a units override on import.
File naming
Whole-model exports are named <project-name>.<ext> — or <project-name>_<file>.<ext> if you have multiple files in the project. Selection exports append the selected part or group label, for example bookcase_middle-shelf.step. OBJ exports are bundled with their MTL companion into a single .zip.
Commercial use and third-party IP
We claim no intellectual-property rights over your designs, subject to the Terms and acceptable-use restrictions. AI output can sometimes resemble an existing protected design, trademark, or registered industrial design closely enough to create a problem. Before publishing, manufacturing, or selling anything Prompt2CAD generated, it is on you to check for third-party IP conflicts in your jurisdiction. See the Terms of Service §6 and §11 for the full picture. For anything load-bearing, pressure-holding, or code-regulated, get the design reviewed by a qualified professional before fabrication.
Per-format pages
- STEP — parametric CAD, Fusion / SolidWorks / FreeCAD.
- DXF — AutoCAD, CAM, CNC.
- OBJ + MTL — Blender and the classic mesh tools.
- GLB, DAE, STL, 3MF — web 3D, SketchUp Free, 3D printing.
Next: Developer API