The limit: i.materialise
- File size cap
- 100 MB
- Triangle cap
- no fixed cap
- Triangles at that size
- 2.1 million
This page opens the reducer at 90 MB. Source: i.materialise help, Maximum file size (checked 2026-09).
Why the file is over it
Models sent to i.materialise are often the ones people want in resin, multicolour or metal, and the files behind them come straight from ZBrush, a 3D scanner or an AI generator at native resolution. Nothing in that pipeline caps the count; a bust scan at 0.05 mm point spacing is 5 million triangles before cleanup.
How to get under it
- 1Drop the STL below. The target is preset to 90 MB.
- 2Press Reduce. For most models 90 MB leaves well over 1.5 million triangles, more than any of their materials can resolve.
- 3Check the result card for watertightness; i.materialise runs its own repair, but a clean input avoids surprises in the quote.
- 4Download and upload.
What to expect
A 260 MB scan (5.4 million triangles) to 90 MB keeps 1.9 million. On a 150 mm bust that is one triangle per 0.1 mm of surface, finer than the layer height of every material they offer. Reducing to 45 MB is usually invisible too and halves the upload time.
Other ways
i.materialise's uploader auto-repairs but does not simplify. Their help article points to Meshmixer, which is discontinued; MeshLab and Blender remain the desktop options, both needing a percentage-and-retry loop to land under 100 MB.
Questions
Does the 100 MB apply to STL only?
It applies to every accepted format. STL is the largest per triangle after ASCII formats, so it is the one that most often needs reducing; 3MF and OBJ of the same mesh are smaller.
Will a reduced file price differently?
No. Pricing is by volume, bounding box and material; the mesh detail is not a factor.
Can I reduce a multi-part model?
The tool handles one STL at a time. Export the parts separately and reduce each with the same target; the shells do not need to be merged for upload.