Convert CIF to STL (Free)
Also converts OBJ, GLB, PLY, USDZ, 3MF, FBX from the same file.
Runs in your browser. No upload, no signup, nothing to install.
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
How to convert CIF to STL
- 1
Open your .cif file
Drag it onto the viewer above, or click "Open a CIF File". Files up to 200 MB open directly; the parse runs in a worker so the page stays responsive.
- 2
Click Download STL
Once the file is open, the Download STL button sits at the bottom right of the viewer. The Export menu in the toolbar has every other format.
- 3
Download
The .stl is written in the browser and saved straight to your downloads folder. No queue, no email, no watermark.
What survives the conversion
A file conversion is a translation, and formats do not carry the same things. Here is exactly what moves from CIF into STL, and what does not.
| Geometry | Kept | Both formats store triangle meshes, so the shape transfers directly. |
|---|---|---|
| Colors and materials | Dropped | STL has no concept of color or materials, so the per-vertex color in your CIF file are not written. The geometry is unaffected. |
| Layers and structure | Dropped | STL is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, OBJ, DXF instead. |
| Units and scale | Reduced | CIF coordinates are in ångströms, and the export treats one ångström as one meter: a protein 50 Å across arrives 50 meters across. Scale the model on import to the size you want. |
What the STL writer emits: Binary STL, one triangle record per face, positions written verbatim in meters.
The source: mmCIF / CIF structure (.cif, .mmcif, .mcif)
A PDBx/mmCIF structure from the Protein Data Bank, as a cartoon of its chains with ligands as ball and stick, or a small-molecule crystallography CIF, as ball and stick inside its unit cell, in ångströms with every atom coloured by element and a space-filling layer. The first data block of the file is read.
The target: Stereolithography (.stl)
The universal 3-D printing mesh. Every slicer and every printing service takes it.
Opens in: Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Meshmixer, any printing service.
Your file never leaves your computer
Both the CIF parser and the STL writer are JavaScript and WebAssembly running in your own browser tab. There is no upload step, no server-side conversion queue, and no copy of your file anywhere but your machine. That matters for drawings under NDA, for client work, and for anything you would not email to a stranger.
Free to Use, No Signup
There are no accounts and no watermarks on this converter. If it saved you time, the one thing we ask is a mention: a post, a link from your blog or course page, or a reply to someone asking how to open a file.
Share it
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Hear about new formats
Occasional emails when the viewer learns a new format or gets a new tool.
Frequently asked questions
▶Is this CIF to STL converter free?
Yes. No signup, no watermark, no per-file limit and no paid tier. Innerscene.
▶Is my CIF file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read with the browser file API and converted in the same tab. Nothing is sent to a server unless you explicitly click Share, which is a separate, opt-in feature.
▶Will my colors and materials survive the STL export?
STL has no concept of color or materials, so the per-vertex color in your CIF file are not written. The geometry is unaffected.
▶Do layers and named parts carry into the STL file?
STL is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, OBJ, DXF instead.
▶Will the STL open at the right size?
CIF coordinates are in ångströms, and the export treats one ångström as one meter: a protein 50 Å across arrives 50 meters across. Scale the model on import to the size you want.
▶How large a CIF file can I convert?
Up to 200 MB, and the ceiling adapts to how much memory your device reports. The conversion runs on your own hardware, so a desktop with plenty of RAM will handle more than a phone.
▶Can I convert STL back to CIF?
Not here. We read CIF and write STL, but not the reverse. the universal 3D viewer
▶Which browsers does it work in?
Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. No plugin and no extension.
Convert CIF to something else
Convert something else to STL
Or start from the universal 3D viewer.