Volume Calculator

Calculate the volume, surface area, and material estimates of any 3D model at up to 10 different heights in a single request.

Input Requirements

For accurate results, the input model should be watertight (no holes) or have only small holes. Models with small gaps are handled automatically, but large open surfaces may reduce accuracy.

Calculate Volume

POST

/v1/tools/calculate-volume/

Calculate the precise volume and surface area of any 3D model at up to 10 different heights in a single request. Upload a 3D file or provide a URL and specify one or more target heights — the API returns the volume, surface area, bounding box dimensions, hollow shell estimates, and infill-adjusted volumes for each height. The model is processed once and all heights are computed instantly. Supports GLB, glTF, OBJ, STL, PLY, FBX, and ZIP archives. Costs 20 credits per request regardless of how many heights are requested.

Request

# Single height
curl -X POST https://api.3daistudio.com/v1/tools/calculate-volume/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model_url": "https://example.com/model.glb",
    "target_height": 10.0,
    "unit": "cm"
  }'

# Multiple heights (up to 10) — same cost, same processing time
curl -X POST https://api.3daistudio.com/v1/tools/calculate-volume/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model_url": "https://example.com/model.glb",
    "target_heights": "5,10,15,20",
    "unit": "cm"
  }'

# File upload with multiple heights
curl -X POST https://api.3daistudio.com/v1/tools/calculate-volume/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F model_file=@model.glb \
  -F target_heights=5,10,15,20 \
  -F unit=cm

Response

{
  "task_id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "created_at": "2026-03-31T12:00:00Z"
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
model_url	string (URL)	Conditional	URL of the 3D model. Supports GLB, glTF, OBJ, STL, PLY, FBX, and ZIP. Required if model_file is not provided.
model_file	file	Conditional	Direct file upload of the 3D model. Supports the same formats as model_url. Required if model_url is not provided.
target_height	number	Conditional	A single height for volume calculation. The model is scaled uniformly so its height matches this value. Minimum: 0.01. Required if target_heights is not provided.
target_heights	string	Conditional	Comma-separated list of heights (up to 10). Example: "5,10,15,20". Returns results for each height. Required if target_height is not provided.
unit	string	No	Unit for heights and all returned measurements: "cm", "mm", or "inches". Default: "cm".

Checking Status

GET

/v1/generation-request/<task_id>/status/

Poll this endpoint with the task_id from the submit response. When status is "FINISHED", the results array contains a JSON report with metrics for each requested height. Results expire after 24 hours.

Request

curl https://api.3daistudio.com/v1/generation-request/YOUR_TASK_ID/status/ \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Response

{
  "status": "FINISHED",
  "progress": 100,
  "failure_reason": null,
  "results": [
    {
      "asset": "https://storage.3daistudio.com/assets/volume_report.json",
      "asset_type": "3D_MODEL",
      "metadata": {
        "heights": [
          {
            "target_height": 5.0,
            "volume": 4.347,
            "unit": "cm³",
            "surface_area": 29.681,
            "surface_area_unit": "cm²",
            "surface_area_to_volume_ratio": 6.8276,
            "bounding_box": { "width": 2.56, "depth": 1.58, "height": 5.0, "unit": "cm" },
            "bounding_box_volume": 20.21,
            "fill_ratio": 0.2151,
            "hollow_estimates": [
              { "wall_thickness_mm": 2.0, "shell_volume": 5.94, "material_saved": 0.0, "material_saved_pct": 0.0 }
            ],
            "infill_estimates": { "20%": 0.869, "100%": 4.347 }
          },
          {
            "target_height": 10.0,
            "volume": 34.774,
            "unit": "cm³",
            "surface_area": 118.721,
            "surface_area_unit": "cm²",
            "bounding_box": { "width": 5.12, "depth": 3.16, "height": 10.0, "unit": "cm" },
            "bounding_box_volume": 161.69,
            "fill_ratio": 0.2151,
            "hollow_estimates": [
              { "wall_thickness_mm": 2.0, "shell_volume": 23.74, "material_saved": 11.03, "material_saved_pct": 31.72 }
            ],
            "infill_estimates": { "20%": 6.955, "100%": 34.774 }
          }
        ],
        "height_unit": "cm"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Response Fields

Each entry in the heights array contains the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
target_height	number	The height this result was calculated for.
volume	number	The calculated volume of the model in the requested unit (cm³, mm³, or in³).
surface_area	number	Total surface area of the model (cm², mm², or in²).
surface_area_to_volume_ratio	number	Ratio of surface area to volume. Higher values indicate more intricate or thin-walled models.
bounding_box	object	Width, depth, and height of the model's bounding box in the requested unit.
bounding_box_volume	number	Volume of the bounding box.
fill_ratio	number	How much of the bounding box the model fills (0 to 1). A cube would be 1.0.
hollow_estimates	array	Material volume estimates if the model were hollowed at 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, and 3mm wall thicknesses. Includes material saved percentage.
infill_estimates	object	Volume at 15%, 20%, 25%, 50%, and 100% infill. Useful for estimating FDM print material usage.

Processing Times

Volume calculation typically completes in 8–20 seconds depending on the complexity of the model. Requesting multiple heights does not increase processing time.