Getting an estimate
Drop a file on the homepage and you'll see a number in a few seconds. No account, no card, nothing sent to anyone.
What actually happens
Your browser reads the file and measures it: volume, bounding box, surface area, triangle count, and whether the mesh is closed. From the volume it works out roughly how much material the part needs and how long it'd take to print at the settings you picked. That gives a price range.
The file doesn't leave your computer for this. Nothing is uploaded until you send a request to makers.
What you can change
Material, layer height, infill and quantity. Change any of them and the estimate updates. Material has the biggest effect on price; layer height has the biggest effect on print time.
Why it's a range and not a price
The estimate uses generic assumptions: a typical material density, a typical machine speed, and no support material. Real parts need supports. Real machines run at different speeds. A real maker also has a setup cost that doesn't scale with size.
For a simple part sitting flat on the bed, the estimate is usually close. For something with overhangs, thin towers or a lot of internal geometry, it can be well under what a maker quotes: the supports alone can double the material.
Estimate vs. quote
| Estimate | Quote | |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes it | Your browser | A specific maker |
| Based on | Geometry and generic assumptions | Your file on their machine |
| Binding | No | Yes, until the expiry date |
| What you pay | Never | This one |
Only a quote is a price.
When the estimate fails
Sometimes we can't measure a file: corrupt geometry, an unusual export, a format quirk. When that happens you can still send it to makers. They open it in a real slicer and tell you what needs fixing.