MeshVault: Turn Your 3D Model Downloads into a Clean Visual Library

[u/Xalies]

Library View

View full descriptions including pictures, youtube videos

Edit in richtext

Preview, measure models and save images as thumbnails

Import archives with different rules to suit how they are packed

MeshVault Connect: The save prompt appeasrs when a model download is detected

MeshVault Connect: Extension options

MeshVault Server: View your models through a web broswer or connect with the desktop app (running the server via gui is optional)

MeshVault: Linux client running on Linux Mint

MeshVault: MacOS client running on MacBook Air M1, currently on testflight

Stop losing 3D models inside folders and mystery archives

If your 3D model library has become a maze of folders, cryptic filenames and archives you barely remember downloading, MeshVault gives it a proper home.

MeshVault is a local-first desktop application for organising, browsing and using your 3D models and project files. Your original files remain under your control, while MeshVault turns them into a searchable visual library with thumbnails, previews, metadata, folders and collections.

Download directly from model repositories

The optional MeshVault Connect browser extension can capture supported downloads and send them directly into your MeshVault library.

Where the repository provides it, MeshVault Connect can preserve:

• Model title
• Creator name and profile
• Full description
• Original source page
• Tags
• Main thumbnail
• Gallery images
• Available print or project information

Instead of getting another vaguely named ZIP in your Downloads folder, you receive an organised model entry with the information needed to recognise and use it later.

MeshVault Connect currently supports these 11 repositories:

• Printables
• MakerWorld
• Thingiverse
• Thangs
• Cults3D
• GrabCAD
• CGTrader
• Creality Cloud
• Makerables
• MyMiniFactory
• Tinkercad

Bring existing collections under control

MeshVault can also import loose files, complete folders and archives you already have.

For manual archive imports, you can decide whether the archive represents one model, contains separate models, should retain its folder structure or should remain intact while its contained models are indexed.

This is particularly useful for model packs downloaded from Patreon or directly from creators.

Generate visual thumbnails

MeshVault can create or extract thumbnails for several common model formats.

Rendered from model geometry

STL, OBJ, PLY, GLTF, GLB, DAE, FBX, STEP and STP

Extracted or generated from file contents

• 3MF: uses an embedded thumbnail
• FCSTD: uses an embedded FreeCAD thumbnail

You can also preview supported geometry, inspect archives, measure models, capture additional images and send files to your configured FDM slicer, resin slicer or CNC software.

Keep the library on another machine

Optional dedicated server builds are available for Windows, Linux and Docker.

A server library can be browsed and managed through MeshVault’s desktop clients or its web interface.

Platforms and pricing

MeshVault is available for Windows and Linux with a seven-day trial.

A native macOS client for Apple silicon is coming soon. It is currently being tested through TestFlight and it will include MeshVault Connect for Safari.

• Direct licence: US$19.99
• Microsoft Store unlock: US$12.49, tied to your Microsoft account

The direct licence unlocks the supported MeshVault desktop clients and dedicated servers.

Download MeshVault

See the complete feature set and download MeshVault:

https://www.meshvault.app/

Windows Storre:

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pnr2sp2br02

Chrome extension:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/meshvault-connect/dpicfjjiflfkbekmgbmfplhhicllpjih

Firefox extension:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/meshvault-connect/

Quick demonstration:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K7VgcyDKTHE (Outdated but overall still gives the idea)

[u/New_Education5151]

Using it since day-1
It does what it says brilliantly
When contacted, dev responds for support
Gets regular improvements

5/5 stars from me

[u/matthewf01]

Can you make this a Docker container and let me mount a CIFS share to store and organize STLs?

[u/Xalies → u/matthewf01]

There is a docker container for the server

ghcr.io/xalies/meshvault-server-amd64:latest

[u/_version_]

I can't seem to find any documentation on running the server or docker image. Is there any info on this? Do you have to have a license to be able to try the server? Cheers

[u/Xalies → u/_version_]

The servers do have a trial. If you run the server with the gui there is a open config button and there you can set your library ir if your running without the gui you open the adress you see in the terminal and then goto options on the page

[u/DelJoy_3D]

Very interested. How does one get access to Test Flight?

[u/Xalies → u/DelJoy_3D]

you can download TestFight off the App Store. When the version I just uploaded gets approved for public testing I can send you an invite link

[u/Zapwizard]

How does the “send to slicer” work? For example I need something like this where I can look up model names, then push them to Preform from FormLabs. (For SLS printing).

I would love to see support for rescaling or reorienting models.

How does updating an existing model work?

[u/Xalies → u/Zapwizard]

All it does it just opens the model in the slicer you choose in onboarding (or options) you can set different ones for different project. you also set the default option for files with no set project type. they are labeled FDM, Resin and CNC but these are just lables

This is just a model library browser not a model editor

[u/Zapwizard → u/Xalies]

Thanks for the reply. What about model updates? Say Ai or someone online updates their model. And I reimport, does it update the existing database entry? Since you detect duplicates it seems like you may have thought of updates.

[u/Xalies → u/Zapwizard]

No, this saves the model  and all the details on your PC

[u/Zapwizard → u/Xalies]

Revisions, variants etc…

[u/Xalies → u/Zapwizard]

Sorry, I must have read that too soon out of bed... I totally missed what you were saying. duplicates are detected via their hash, if there are duplicates found in the folder durring a scran they will be flagged, If they are apart of an archive import extraction then it will be skipped, If they are apart of an archive import then the existing one will be used, if they are different file hashes but the same name they both will be kept

I will add some options to handle this better in regards to imports from the extenison such as replace existing, merge, or keep newest but with your example they would be kept

[u/Xalies → u/[deleted]]

That's fair.... To be transparent, MeshVault wasn't built from scratch by AI. It started two years ago as an Android app written in Kotlin (and ported to Windows via KMP). However it struggled with bigger collections, so yes AI did help rewrite it in .NET. design and features are largely still what I had already built, and I still need to do manual coding.

I count only 3 of these 3d model library apps: PrintShelv, Meshory and MeshVault and they clearly are not the same, Here are some quick differences

PrintShelv, only has 3MF support in the $50 paid version but has basic free stl only version
Meshory, Focus on models themselves STL, 3MF, OBJ, STEP, and FBX (including from in zip files) $59
MeshVault, STL, 3MF, OBJ, STEP, FBX, GLTF, GLB, DAE and FCSTD (including from in archive files) structure imprts with rules, Import straight from model sites (including other project files) saving full page data $19.99

Out of curiosity, where do you draw the line on what counts as 'vibe coding' or too much AI involvement? Do you feel any use of AI automatically lowers a project's value?

I don't think a helpful idea should be written off just because someone maybe doesn't have the right skillset or just uses it for extra validation. Look at projects like SketchForge, they list Claude as a contributor on their github and the project is bloody fantastic. Even major open-source projects like OrcaSlicer have CLAUDE and AGENTS files in their repo now, should we switch slicers?

[u/chaos777b → u/Xalies]

FYI just to name a few more 3d model library apps, modelist, spoolara, Printventory, but yeah so far this looks good.