Free online SCAD to AMF converter

AMF is used by some additive-manufacturing and 3D-printing workflows that do not accept OpenSCAD source files. Converting the model makes the final geometry portable while removing the need for the recipient to install OpenSCAD or edit the parametric design.

What the SCAD format is

SCAD is OpenSCAD's plain-text source format. It describes constructive solid geometry with primitives, transformations, Boolean operations, modules, loops, variables, and imported meshes rather than storing a finished polygon mesh.

OpenSCAD creates and edits .scad files. You encounter them in parametric 3D-printing projects, script-based CAD repositories, and designs shared for modification. A SCAD file must be compiled before another application can use its geometry; source code alone is not an AMF model.

What the AMF format is

AMF, the Additive Manufacturing File Format, stores a printable 3D model in XML. It can represent units, multiple objects, materials, colors, and curved or triangular geometry, and it is intended for additive-manufacturing software.

AMF is useful when a slicer, fabrication program, or archive specifically requires AMF instead of STL. Compared with STL, it can preserve more manufacturing metadata and material information, although software support is less universal.

How to convert SCAD to AMF

Using OpenSCAD

1. Open the .scad file in OpenSCAD.
2. Set required variables in the source and confirm that all imported files are available in the referenced paths.
3. Use Design → Render (CGAL), or press F6. Do not rely on the preview from F5; preview-only geometry may not represent the final compiled object.
4. Choose File → Export, select AMF if it is listed, and save the result with an .amf extension.

For a repeatable command-line conversion, run:

openscad -o model.amf model.scad

For a parameterized design, assign values during rendering:

openscad -D 'diameter=40' -o model.amf model.scad

Quote string values differently according to the shell, for example -D 'label="part-A"'. The output format is selected from the .amf filename extension. The command must be run from an environment where OpenSCAD and every imported dependency are accessible.

Using the built-in online converter

You can convert the file for free on the 101convert.com website without installing software. Upload the SCAD file, choose AMF as the output format, start the conversion, and download the generated file. This option is suitable when the SCAD source has no confidential design data and does not depend on unavailable external files.

Quality, compatibility, and limitations

OpenSCAD converts the compiled solid into mesh geometry. The SCAD parameters and construction history are not included in AMF, so the result cannot be edited parametrically as an OpenSCAD source file.

Mesh resolution affects curved surfaces. In OpenSCAD, $fn sets a fixed facet count, while $fa and $fs control angular and linear resolution. Excessively coarse values create visible faceting; excessively fine values increase rendering time and file size.

Check the exported AMF in the target slicer or manufacturing application for closed surfaces, correct units, object orientation, and scale. OpenSCAD's geometry must render without warnings; non-manifold geometry, empty intersections, unsupported imports, or projection-only constructions can produce incomplete or unusable output.