Guide · Digital workflow
How to export STL from Medit for your lab
Medit files leave through Medit Link, from the Export icon in the File Viewer. STL drops color and the margin line; PLY and OBJ keep both. Steps and sending.
Short answer
Medit scans are exported from Medit Link, not from Medit Scan for Clinics: open the case, click the Export icon in the File Viewer and pick a mesh format. STL comes out without color or the margin line you drew; PLY and OBJ keep both. Attach the files to your order in the Smile portal.
Step by step
- 01
Take the patient's name out of the file-name rule
Once, under Settings > Export Options, check the rules for file and folder names. Medit Link can use the patient's name; swap it for the case name or a date so files leave without it.
- 02
Open the case in Medit Link
After you complete the scan in Medit Scan for Clinics, go to Medit Link, open Case Box and click the case. The scanning app itself can't export files.
- 03
Click the Export icon in the File Viewer
The icon sits at the top right of the File Viewer tab. It opens a dialog with folder, name, type, mesh format and export options.
- 04
Pick the mesh format and options
Check STL and, when color or your drawn margin matters, PLY or OBJ as well. If the scan produced more than one bite, turn on Export All Occlusal Relationship.
- 05
Check the file list and export
In the File List tab, untick anything the lab doesn't need, such as a pre-op scan the case doesn't call for. Click Export, then Yes to open the folder.
- 06
Attach the files to your Smile portal order
Build the order in the portal with the services and teeth (FDI numbering) and attach the STL from the folder, plus the PLY or OBJ if agreed. For implant work, add the implant brand, platform and scan body model.
Which format should you export from Medit?
From Medit, STL opens in any lab software but leaves out color and the margin line you drew. PLY and OBJ keep both, and Medit points to them when color matters. meditMesh is Medit’s own format and only opens in Medit software.
| format | keeps color? | when to use it |
|---|---|---|
| STL | no, and no margin line | crowns, onlays and implant cases where the margin is crisp in the scan; the format our portal accepts |
| PLY | yes, with the drawn margin as color | esthetic cases or hard-to-read margins, so the technician sees what you marked |
| OBJ | yes, with the drawn margin as color | same use as PLY, when the lab asks for OBJ |
| meditMesh | yes | only between Medit programs; no use to a lab designing in other software |
You can tick more than one format in a single export, and Medit Link saves a copy in each to the same folder. Medit’s help center describes this export in Medit Link without splitting it by scanner model.
How do you send a case through Medit Link?
Medit Link sends cases two ways, and both need something from the lab. An order (the Order button in Case Box) only goes to a partner: both organizations have to be on the partner list, and only an admin account can request or accept a partnership, in Medit Link Web. A lab that isn’t there yet can be brought in with Invite Partner.
The other way is a Case Talk link, created under Share > Get Link. It has an expiration date, can carry a PIN, and the lab can only download files if you tick Grant Download Permission. Leave the option that shows the patient’s name to anyone with the link unticked.
At Smile Digital Lab, cases come in as orders in our dentist portal, with the exported files attached. If you already work through Medit Link, ask us before your first case whether we can receive there.
Which scan errors send a Medit file back?
A Medit file comes back when the bite wasn’t resolved, the mesh has a flaw or part of the case was left out of the export. Medit’s documentation flags three moments: the bite, the scan body and choosing what goes into the export.
| error | what happens | how to avoid it on Medit |
|---|---|---|
| No opposing arch | contacts and occlusion designed blind | scan both full arches before the occlusion stage |
| A bite that didn’t align | the restoration may come in high or out of contact | patient upright, occlusal plane parallel to the floor, three to four teeth on each arch; if the bite area doesn’t turn green, align by points |
| Mesh clipped, or blood and saliva in the scan | the margin has no continuous surface to design on | trim only excess soft tissue and control blood and saliva before scanning |
| Scan body loose, covered or incomplete | implant position shifts in the design | seat it with its distinctive shape facing buccal or lingual, and capture it in the Scan Body stage |
| An extra bite left out of the files | the technician gets only one of the occlusal records | turn on Export All Occlusal Relationship |
| Drawn margin sent as STL | the technician doesn’t see the margin you traced | export a PLY or OBJ too |
Scan technique and margins are covered in our intraoral scanning guide. For shade, a colored mesh isn’t enough; follow our shade guide.
How do you attach a Medit file to a Smile portal order?
In the Smile portal, a Medit file goes in as an attachment to the order, picked from the folder Medit Link exported to. If you ticked more than one format, that folder holds a copy in each: attach the STL and, if agreed, the PLY or OBJ with the margin. If you turned on Save Case Information as PDF, open the PDF and check what’s in it before attaching.
STL is accepted; PLY, OBJ or the single file from Compress Files only after you check with us. The patient’s name goes in the order field, and the file-name rule leaves it out. Shade and implant details follow our guide to sending a case; the portal screens are in Portuguese. If the margin isn’t visible or the bite is missing, we contact you before design starts.
Related services
Open a portal accountFrequently asked questions
Can I export straight from Medit Scan for Clinics?
No. Medit's help center says direct export from the scanning app isn't supported: files leave through the File Viewer in Medit Link, once the scan is complete and the case shows up in Case Box.
Does the margin I drew in Medit reach the lab?
Yes, if the format carries color. Medit Link writes the margin line as color on the arch in meditMesh, PLY and OBJ; STL doesn't keep it, and the 3Shape type doesn't support it. A drawn margin helps the technician but doesn't replace a margin that's clearly visible in the scan.
Which Type should I pick in the export dialog?
Type sets the file's axis for a given design program, such as exocad or 3Shape; Medit notes this doesn't mean the programs are integrated. With the Medit type, files keep the orientation and alignment shown in the File Viewer. Ask your lab which one it prefers.
Sources
- Get Result Files · Medit (updated September 30, 2026)
- [Guide] Exporting Scan Data and Using Third-Party CAD Software · Medit (updated October 8, 2026)
- Settings (Export Settings) · Medit (updated September 30, 2026)
- Partners · Medit (updated August 29, 2026)
- Case Talk · Medit (updated August 9, 2026)
- [FAQ] Occlusion · Medit (updated September 11, 2026)
- The checklist for intraoral scanning · Medit (updated October 7, 2026)
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