Software application and application suite tailored to build preparation for additive manufacturing
Repair, arrange, orient, and prepare three-dimensional files, be they tessellated (triangle mesh) or parametric (CAD), and produce slice and print data. To help with these tasks, Netfabb provides tools and functions for viewing, editing, repairing, supporting, and analyzing three-dimensional mesh files or slice-based files in various formats.
Typical application scenarios
- Load a file of one format, mesh or parametric, and export it in another format
- Repair broken mesh
- Rotate and arrange multiple parts on the build platform, manually or automatically for optimized use of space and printing time
- Hollow parts to give them a wall thickness
- Measure geometric properties
- Generate volume or surface lattice
- Slice volumetric parts and generate exposure path and data for contours and hatching
- Generate build files in vector formats, image stacks, and selected machine-specific formats
- Generate support structures
- Correctively deform part shapes
- Optimize support structures
- Simulate thermo-mechanical conditions during metal-additive manufacturing for limited-size models and with known process parameters
(For the unlimited version of this feature use the separate product Autodesk® Netfabb® Local Simulation.)
Feature comparison
Netfabb is exists (
or existed) in three paid subscriptions and one free, non-subscription mode.
- Netfabb Standard (still maintained but can no longer be subscribed to)
- Netfabb, previously called Netfabb Premium.
- Netfabb Ultimate no longer receives updates and can no longer be subscribed to. It is included in this article for historical reasons only; the last release for Netfabb Ultimate was 2025.1 of July 2024.
- Netfabb Basic, the free, reduced-features but still powerful mode that activates if any of the respective installations are run without a license, or are run past their trial periods
Several functions and features previously exclusive to
Netfabb
Ultimate have been made available in
Netfabb, too.
Functions and features that were not moved, like 3S and Optimization Utility, are now considered officially retired.
| Netfabb Basic | Netfabb Standard | Netfabb (previously Premium) | Netfabb Ultimate | |
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File handling |
Import and export mesh files |
Import and export CAD files |
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Mesh editing |
Edit and repair meshes |
Preserve parametric information from CAD files wherever possible and/or applicable |
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Machine-specific slicing |
Generate buildfiles for various resin photopolymerisation and selected polymer powderbed machines |
Generate buildfiles for additional binder-jetting, laser-sintering, and resin photopolymerisation machines |
Generate buildfiles for a large range of metal powderbed machines |
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Define and apply custom toolpath strategies from toolpath-generating functions |
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Machine-agnostic slicing |
Read and view slice information |
Freely generate and process machine-agnostic slicing information with contour and hatching paths, optionally assign exposure parameters, and export to formats like CLI and PNG |
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Support structure generation |
Generate support structures as permitted by selected machine |
Generate support structures without machine limitations
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Latticing |
Use latticing with certain machines |
Use latticing without machine restriction |
Use unrestricted, adaptive volume and surface latticing, define your own lattice topologies and transitions |
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Simulation and iterative optimization |
Perform limited thermo-mechanical simulation of metal powderbed fusion processes |
Perform iterative topology and lattice topology optimization |
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Automation |
Use Lua automation in machine-agnostic slicing
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Online collaboration |
Host "local cloud" network storage |