Welcome to Quote3D!
Overview
Quote3D is a REST API and embeddable widget platform for 3D printing analysis, async quote generation, and production workflows. External API requests are served from https://api.quote3d.com/v2. Whether you're building a 3D printing service, embedding quoting into an e-commerce site, or automating your print farm, Quote3D helps you get accurate pricing and printability data.
This documentation provides everything you need to integrate Quote3D into your application. We've designed it to be clear, comprehensive, and easy to follow - whether you're a seasoned developer or just getting started with APIs.
Key Features
- Async Quote Jobs - Accurate pricing, material usage, and print time estimates (FDM, SLA, SLS) via job-based processing
- Multi-Format Support - Professional geometry analysis for STL, 3MF, and OBJ files
- Printability & Safety - Pre-print assessment of bed adhesion risk, geometric integrity (open edges/non-manifold errors), and boundary verification
- Advanced Technical Metrics - Detailed production data including surface area, support volume, and non-manifold analysis
- Enterprise Quote History - Centralized management and retrieval of all your professional quotes
- Advanced Webhooks - Real-time integration with ERP, CRM, carts, and background workflows
- In-depth Analytics - Detailed tracking of material consumption, cost trends, and production efficiency
- Embeddable Widgets - Client-side quoting flows with postMessage, redirect support, and plugin integrations
How It Works
- Upload your 3D model file (STL, 3MF, or OBJ format)
- Configure your printer settings and pricing parameters (or use defaults)
- Create a quote job - Quote3D starts async analysis and pricing for the model
- Poll the job endpoint or consume webhooks to retrieve material usage, print time, and total cost
- Access quote history, analytics, and manage your files through the API
If the documentation doesn't cover what you're looking for, or something seems unclear, please visit our GitHub repo and open an issue or a PR - these docs are a work in progress and we welcome all contributions!
We're actively developing and improving the service, so expect changes and new features frequently as well as updates to this documentation.
System Architecture & Core Engine
At the heart of Quote3D lies an advanced 3D slicing simulation and geometric analysis engine. Unlike simple volume-based calculators, our system genuinely interprets the geometry of the uploaded models to provide highly accurate, industrial-grade quoting.
Multi-Technology Support
Our engine dynamically adapts its calculation logic across three distinct manufacturing technologies:
- FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling): We compute filament path lengths, layer-by-layer shell generation, infill geometries, and necessary support structures. Machine parameters like nozzle size, various speeds (print, travel, retract), and jerk/acceleration limits are precisely factored in to estimate the real printing time.
- SLA (Stereolithography): The calculation switches to light-exposure metrics. Printing time is derived from the number of layers, standard exposure times, base layer exposure overrides, and the mechanical lift/retract movements of the resin vat.
- SLS (Selective Laser Sintering): Calculations utilize laser speed, hatch spacing, layer recoat times, and pre-heating/cooling times. SLS allows for 3D stacking of parts within the powder bed, a factor our batching engine natively supports.
Advanced 3D Packing & Batching
When a quote requests multiple quantities, our advanced 3D bin-packing algorithm calculates exactly how many parts can fit into a single production run (batch) based on the machine's build volume (X, Y, Z). By grouping parts into batches, overhead operations—like preheating the bed or recoating SLS layers—are only amortized per batch rather than per part. This provides incredibly cost-effective scaling for volume manufacturing.
Comprehensive Cost Calculation
Pricing is not just a markup on material weight. Quote3D formulates the final price by summing up:
- Material Cost: Derived from the exact grams of material used (including generated supports) multiplied by your material's per-gram cost.
- Machine Hourly Rate: The simulated print time is multiplied by the specific hourly operational cost of the assigned machine.
- Energy Overhead: Factoring in local energy costs (kWh) against machine wattage.
- Post-Processing & Margins: Fixed fees, post-processing options (sanding, painting, hollowing), and tax rates are applied as final layers in your selected currency.
Seamless API & Dashboard Integration
The entire engine is encapsulated behind a sleek REST API and a user-friendly Dashboard. You can define your default Printer Profiles, Material Profiles, and Quote Configurations in the dashboard visually. When API requests arrive, they automatically inherit these settings unless explicitly overridden by the request payload—allowing absolute flexibility for edge cases while keeping your API calls clean and minimal.