A farewell to 3D Builder
Large corporations are systematically withdrawing from 3D printing, but they are doing so quietly
Did you know that there was a time when Microsoft believed in the great consumer revolution that 3D printing was supposed to bring?
They believed in it so much that they became one of the main promoters and innovators in 3D printing. Their contribution to its development was unprecedented and invaluable.
Microsoft invented the 3MF format.
They then created the 3MF Consortium around it. Brought together the largest companies making CAD design software and manufacturing 3D printers, to make a PDF for 3D printing.
Now the Consortium has a life of its own. Microsoft is just one of its members…
They introduced native 3D printer support in Windows 8.1, which meant that 3D printer users could start 3D printing directly from third-party applications by clicking “print.” Just like with documents sent to ink or laser printer.
Even if it still works in Windows 11, no one uses it.
They promoted 3D printers in their stores in the USA — in 2013, you could buy a MakerBot Replicator 2 and a set of filaments in 18 Microsoft Stores on West Coast of US.
So they were, and so they disappeared. No one remembers it anymore.
They finally created 3D Builder — one of the best 3D modeling applications for beginners, which they made available for free. Which had far greater capabilities than most users ever realized.
And now, it’s dying a silent death…
Because Microsoft — like many other large corporations, has stopped believing in 3D printing and is quietly withdrawing from it.
Which is quite understandable, and I have no problem with that.
But 3D Builder’ demise is really a pity.
This is my official farewell to this app. Although I still have it and will continue to use it, I will feel like I’m listening to cassettes on my tape recorder or watching movies on my VCR.
The times, they are a-changin’
When Microsoft got into 3D printing in 2013, the consumer 3D printing bandwagon was still gaining momentum, and many were trying to jump on it.
As one of the world’s largest software corporations, Microsoft decided to do it right.
They started by changing the file format in which 3D printing models were saved. This was an absolute necessity.
From the beginning — since the early 1980s — the prevailing standard had been the STL format. It describes the geometry of a model (using a mesh of connected triangles) and its size.
Unfortunately, it does not convey any other information.
Microsoft proposed a new file type called 3MF, which additionally included information such as:
color (e.g., in the form of a bitmap)
texture
type of material from which the part should be printed (and therefore the 3D printing technology that should be used)
scale or unit of measure in which the model was exported
designer data and history of changes made to the file.
So, the difference between STL and 3MF was meant to be somewhat like the difference between PostScript and PDF. A lot more information included.
Around the project, Microsoft created a consortium of companies that began working together on its development. Among the first members were HP, Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, Shapeways, and SLM Solutions. Later, others joined, led by Stratasys and 3D Systems.
Once a year, the consortium published a report on the implementation work. Unfortunately, the pace was quite sluggish…
That is, for someone who didn’t understand and watched from the sidelines. Because after the initial announcements, everyone expected 3MF to replace STL within a few months to a year.
Meanwhile, months turned into quarters, and quarters into years…
Before the 3MF format really began to be used on a larger scale, the consumer 3D printing revolution was over.
It was 2018, and most startups in this segment had died, and those that survived had transformed into industrial companies.
The biggest problem with 3MF was that it offered capabilities that consumer 3D printers (FFF or SLA) could not take advantage of.
Color? The color will be the same as the color of the filament or resin used.
Texture? If it’s too detailed, it won’t come out at all in FFF.
Type of material? In FFF, most printed with PLA or ABS, and in SLA with the default “building resin.”
Scale or unit of measure? Okay, useful, but most people scaled their models to their needs eitherway.
Designer data — who ever cared…?
So, the 3MF format, although created on the wave of the consumer boom in 3D printing, always contained extremely important information but only for the industrial sector.
Which made a lot of business sense for Microsoft, but the motives behind all this might have been different…?
Evidence of this was 3D Builder. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
The failure of consumer 3D printing cooled Microsoft’s initial enthusiasm, and it gradually took a back seat.
While Windows 8.1 was a „3D-printing-friendly system”, the latest version (11) is — to say best — „quite indifferent” to 3D printing…
Somewhere along the way, Paint3D appeared, which in my opinion is an abomination to whole designing concept.
And 3D Builder was ignored until finally — which is right now — it has been completely shut down.
This symbolically closes the era of consumer 3D printing for Microsoft and Windows.
Which is quite thought-provoking, considering what Bambu Lab is squeezing out of the 3MF format!
The 3D Builder story
3D Builder was introduced on November 15, 2013, along with the release of Windows 8.1. It was a very unassuming program with great capabilities.
However, these capabilities were not apparent to the user — the significant feature was its engine for repairing errors in STL files.
At that time, 3D Builder was unrivaled in this aspect. Simply put, few people realized its potential. We’ll come back to this…
What did 3D Builder offer?


From the perspective of a professional designer — practically nothing. From the perspective of an absolute beginner — everything needed to get started.
the ability to generate basic shapes and solids
the ability to import 3D models as well as flat images (JPG, PNG), which could be easily converted into 3D models
simple editing of shapes and solids through cutting, hollowing, and merging
easy application of text onto the most complex surfaces (an absolute game-changer in 2013–2015! — an unrivaled tool at that time)
painting with any color and applying textures.
Additionally, 3D Builder was integrated with the iMaterialise platform, so users could design something and order a 3D print from a range of materials and technologies.
As a free tool, it was really a great starting option. Although very basic in appearance and tools compared to alternatives like Sketchup or Tinkercad, it didn’t overwhelm users with a multitude of options or intrusive colors.
3D Builder was the essence of what was needed to start working with 3D design. The basics of the basics.
But it had something else…
An excellent engine for repairing 3D models — STL meshes.
Even advanced designers often don’t realize that exported STL models can have errors not strictly resulting from the design itself but from poor conversion to STL.
In short, the triangle meshes were generated poorly, leaving “open” parts of the model that could cause problems during 3D printing.
Between 2010 and 2018, this was quite common. The programs everyone used were imperfect in this regard. Hence the need for software that could detect and fix these errors.
One of these was the popular Netfabb (once independent, now part of Autodesk), which was commercial.
3D Builder was free. And it was excellent at repairing STL files.
How do I know this? From people at Dassault Systèmes…
In the fall of 2016, I was at the Polish premiere of SOLIDWORKS 2017. During a several-hour presentation of all possible features and tools, the speakers briefly touched on 3D printing. They spent maybe 5 minutes on it.
They mentioned that SOLIDWORKS had the best possible STL repair engine.
I asked if they created it themselves?
No — they replied —we use 3D Builder, an integral part of Windows.
Yes. Dassault Systèmes — one of the largest CAD software manufacturers in the world, decided it was better to use the 3D Builder than to create their own solution or use another (Meshmixer, Netfabb, etc.).
3D Builder was the real deal.
In the following years, I conducted a lot of 3D printing implementation training. Between 2020 and 2022, I trained many Polish teachers (related to a government program implemented by the Ministry of Education).
I introduced them all to 3D Builder — a program they either already had installed on their computer (they just didn’t know it) or could install in 2–3 minutes.
Whenever we received a file for 3D printing services that was damaged or had other issues (wrong scale / dimensions, or too sharp edges due to exporting with too few triangles), we recommended clients/designers revise the project in 3D Builder.
When someone designed a part in Fusion, Solidworks, or SolidEdge, they didn’t see the errors in the file. When they opened it in the free 3D Builder — everything became obvious. They knew what to fix.
The end of the story
But all of this is coming to an end. Or has already ended — depending on who you ask.
Microsoft Builder is no longer available for download from the Microsoft Store. When you try to find it by name, it’s shadowbanned. It doesn’t appear on the list.
But there is this link. When you click the INSTALL button, it asks if you want to open Microsoft Store? If you confirm, this window appears.
Do you see the download button? Exactly…
Questions about this issue have appeared on the Microsoft Answers platform. No one has said anything directly. The only thing you can do — which I don’t recommend — is to download 3D Builder from an external platform.
Unfortunately, you don’t know what else you might be downloading?
It turns out that 3D Builder is quietly disappearing from the public space.
It hasn’t been developed for a long time. The ability to place orders through iMaterialise has simply been disconnected. When you click on it, an error appears.
No explanation. Just a disconnected plug.
The theoretical successor to 3D Builder — Paint3D — as I wrote earlier, is an abomination. I don’t want to hear about it.
So, we are approaching the end of Microsoft’s adventure with consumer 3D printing.
3D Builder was at the forefront of this — now it’s going to the basement. From there, it’s only a short trip to the trash.
And that is the most incomprehensible part of all this… It’s as if the people responsible for this don’t see it, or the people responsible for it are no longer at Microsoft.
The Bambu Lab twist
What was designed 10 years ago with MakerBot Replicator 2, Cube, Ultimaker, or another Solidoodle in mind is now fully utilized by Bambu Lab.
If you’ve had the chance to use 3D printers from this Chinese company, you know there are no STL files. Or rather — you have to make an effort to use them.
Everything is based on 3MF.
The 3D printer model. 3D printing parameters. Suggested filament. Suggested colors for the full-color 3D prints (AMS!). In some cases, the file thumbnail even has a photo of the future 3D print!
Now the 3MF format has really started to make sense at the consumer level. Now one could think about using tools like 3D Builder to support the design. Or even create something more advanced based on it.