Batch Mode
- Last UpdatedJan 05, 2026
- 3 minute read
ImPLANT-STL may be run from a command window, or from a batch file - allowing multiple STL files to be translated into macro files in the background.
In order to run ImPLANT-STL from a batch file it is first necessary to create a batch (.bat) file containing the instructions to initiate the ImPLANT-STL program and also the options to apply to the program. The options available are described in more detail in ImPLANT-STL User Interface.
The format of the batch file is shown below:
ImPLANT-STL.exe <stl_filename> [-b] [-o <output_filename>] -r [<report_filename>]
[-w] [-t] [-h holes_diameter>] [-c <cylinder_sides>] [-s <scale_factor>] [-spoff]
[-i <invisibility_angle>] [-volm] [-unicode] [-f <facet_limit>] [-?]
where:
|
<stl_filename> |
is the filename of the input STL file. |
The options to be applied are included in the batch file in the form of command line switches, where:
|
-b |
indicates that the input STL file is a binary file. If this switch is not used the program uses the default value, in this case ASCII. |
|
-o <output_filename> |
indicates that the following filename is to be used for the output MAC file. If this switch is not used the program uses the default value which is the same root as the input STL file with the extension .mac. |
|
-r <report_filename> |
indicates that <report_filename> is to be used for the report or log file. If this switch is not used the program uses the default value which is the same root as the input STL file with the extension .log. |
|
-w |
indicates that the Wrapper option is to be used. If this switch is not used the program does not apply the Wrapper. |
|
-t |
indicates that the Geometry option is to be set to Uncompressed. If this switch is not used the program will use the default value, Compressed. |
|
-h <holes_diameter> |
indicates that holes are to be translated and that <holes_diameter> is to be applied as the minimum size of hole that is to be translated, ie holes with a diameter of less than the value specified will be ignored. If <holes_diameter> is set to -1.0 then all holes will be ignored. |
|
-c <cylinder_sides> |
indicates the minimum number <cylinder_sides> of sides to be used to recognize and map cylinders or negative cylinders. The default value is 6. |
|
-s <scale_factor> |
indicates that the following <scale_factor> is to be applied during the translation in order to enlarge or reduce the resultant model in the MAC file. |
|
-spoff |
indicates that solid polyhedra should not be created. |
|
-i <invisibility_angle> |
indicates that <invisibility_angle> is to be applied to decide if an edge is visible or invisible when a Solid Polyhedron is created. If the angle given is greater than the angle between the normals of the two faces that share the edge then the edge becomes invisible, otherwise it will become visible. |
|
-volm |
indicates that all elements in the macro file should be created under VOLM elements instead of EQUI. |
|
-dpdms113 |
indicates that solid polyhedra are to be created. This is now obsolete as solid polyhedra are created by default. |
|
-d <directory_path> |
this option can be used to translate every stl file in a specified directory <directory_path>. |
|
-unicode |
allows you to generate a macro file encoded as a Unicode UTF-8 file. This must only be used with a PDMS/Outfitting release that is compatible with such files: 12.1.SP1 and above. |
|
-f <facet_limit> |
allows you to analyze files with more facets. If the option is not used, ImPLANT-STL will use "uncompressed geometry" for files with more than 4000 facets to reduce processing time. If you to generate compressed geometry for more complex files you can up the limit with this option. |
|
-? |
Help. |
Several STL input files may be processed at once if you create a batch file with a series of ImPLANT-STL commands, or use the -d option.