View STL 3D models directly in VS Code. Opens .stl files in a Three.js viewer with orbit, pan, and zoom.
Features
Custom read-only editor for .stl files, no external viewer needed.
Mouse-only controls: left-drag to orbit, right-drag to pan, scroll wheel to zoom. No keyboard required.
Handles both binary and ASCII STL files.
Auto-fits the camera to the model on load.
Toolbar: Fit view, wireframe toggle, grid toggle.
Stats overlay: triangle count and bounding-box dimensions (X x Y x Z).
Follows the active VS Code color theme.
Rejects corrupt or hostile files: a binary STL claiming more triangles than it holds, or any model above 10 million triangles, shows a message in the panel instead of hanging the viewer on a huge allocation.
Getting started
Open any .stl file in the workspace and it opens in the MeshView preview automatically. Use the MeshView: Open STL Preview command, or right-click an .stl file in the Explorer, to open it explicitly.
Open the active or selected .stl file in the MeshView preview.
Settings
Setting
Default
Description
meshview.showGrid
true
Show a grid under the model.
meshview.meshColor
#8ab4f8
Color of the mesh material.
Develop
npm install
npm run watch # rebuild extension host + webview on change
npm run lint
npm test
npm run compile # type-check + build both bundles
npm run vsix # package a .vsix
Contributing
Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for dev setup, build, lint, and test instructions, and the Code of Conduct for community guidelines.
