Plan your DXF to STL project
Turn closed 2D CAD contours into a printable solid while checking the source drawing’s units. Holes remain open, individual profiles can have different heights, and a backing plate can connect disconnected geometry.
A practical starting project is a flat mounting profile or spacer with through-holes. First establish the intended overall size, then decide which regions need their own height. Inspect a first export in the receiving application before adding more detail. This catches unit interpretation and disconnected geometry early, when correcting the source is easier.
Prepare closed DXF contours and drawing units
Use a planar ASCII DXF containing the outline you want to extrude. Closed polylines, circles, ellipses, and joined lines and arcs are useful building blocks. Endpoints must meet to form a closed region; a drawing that looks closed at a distant zoom may still contain a small gap. Explode blocks, outline text, and convert unsupported splines to polylines in your CAD application before importing. Remove dimensions and construction geometry that do not describe the part.
TinyJig uses the drawing unit information in the DXF header to establish physical size. A unitless drawing is interpreted as millimeters and produces a warning, so verify a known overall dimension before exporting. Keep the outline planar rather than expecting a full three-dimensional DXF assembly to become an extruded part. Inner closed contours can represent holes. Check the region preview for duplicate edges, accidental islands, or filled openings, particularly when the drawing combines geometry from several CAD sources.
Use STL for a geometry-first printing workflow
The STL export is a binary triangle mesh with coordinates written in millimeters. STL does not carry a physical-unit declaration or a color palette. If your slicer asks what units to use, choose millimeters and compare the imported width with the measurement in TinyJig. An unexpected change by a factor of 25.4 is a reason to inspect the destination’s inch-versus-millimeter interpretation before resizing the original design.
Set print orientation, layer height, supports, wall settings, and material in the slicer. A thin decorative stroke may convert successfully yet be too small for the chosen nozzle or too fragile for its intended use. Inspect the sliced layers around small lettering and holes rather than relying only on the solid preview. If you want unit information packaged with the mesh, consider 3MF. If you need solid CAD exchange for further engineering work, choose STEP instead of expecting STL triangles to retain parametric features.
Set the physical size before adding depth
A vector can look the same on screen at many different sizes. Before extruding it, choose a display unit and check the overall width against a known measurement from your source drawing. TinyJig keeps width and height proportional, so changing one dimension scales the outline rather than stretching it. The measurements describe the imported artwork, which can occupy less space than its original artboard. Use the top view to inspect the outline and its width and height dimension lines without perspective distortion.
Dimension fields accept ordinary numbers, fractions, and arithmetic with units. For example, 1 3/4 in and 1 + 3/4in both describe one and three-quarter inches; 3mm + 1 in combines metric and imperial lengths. A number without a unit uses the field’s selected display unit. Check the evaluated value before continuing. Switching the display unit changes how the measurement is shown, rather than intentionally resizing the part. Physical scale should also be checked after importing the downloaded model into another application.
Build height with regions and a backing plate
The default extrusion gives every region a starting height. Open a region’s controls to override that value for raised lettering, recessed-looking backgrounds, or stepped details. Select several regions together when they need the same height. A height override remains independent of later default-height changes until you choose the option to use the default again. This makes a two-level badge easier to adjust: change the background once, then change its raised details as a group.
Separate letters and islands remain separate pieces unless geometry connects them. A backing plate can join those islands into a single object. With a plate enabled, region extrusion heights are measured above the plate, so its thickness contributes to the total model height. Combining solids unites overlapping geometry; it cannot bridge an empty gap by itself. Hide a region to exclude it temporarily, or delete an unwanted region from the document. Undo lets you recover an accidental edit while the workspace remains open.
Inspect holes, curves, and orientation
A hole must be represented by the source geometry, usually an inner contour or a compound path. Painting a white shape over another shape is a visual design technique, not a reliable way to define a through-hole. Inspect the imported regions before giving them depth, then orbit the solid to check both faces. If a letter’s counter or a mounting hole is filled, correct the contour relationship in the source drawing and import it again.
Curve detail controls how curved outlines are approximated. More detail can produce a smoother silhouette, but also increases geometry size and conversion work. Start with a moderate setting and inspect small circles and tight corners at their intended physical size. Rotation around Z turns the artwork in its flat XY plane; extrusion extends in the perpendicular direction. Camera dragging changes your view of the model, rather than the physical orientation of its exported geometry.
Review the downloaded model in its destination
Export is one step in a larger design workflow. Open the result in your slicer, CAD application, or 3D viewer and compare its bounding dimensions with TinyJig’s measurements. Check that holes remain open, separate pieces are intentional, and the total height includes any backing plate. A successful download confirms that a file was generated; it does not establish print strength, machining tolerances, or approval by a fabrication service. Those choices depend on your material, process, and destination application.