Every format, and everything it converts to
Sorted by what each format can hold. Solid formats store exact geometry. Mesh and scene formats store triangles. Every format here opens in the viewer, 8 of them can also be written, and every route that ends at a solid is a reconstruction, not a translation.
| Format | Extensions | Kind | What this site can do with it | Converts to | Converts from | Hub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DM | .3dm | solid | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| BREP | .brep .brp | solid | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| IGES | .iges .igs | solid | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| STEP | .step .stp | solid | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| 3DS | .3ds | mesh | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| 3MF | .3mf | mesh | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| AMF | .amf | mesh | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| OBJ | .obj | mesh | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| PLY | .ply | mesh | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| STL | .stl | mesh | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| COLLADA | .dae | scene | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| FBX | .fbx | scene | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
| GLB | .glb | scene | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| glTF | .gltf | scene | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| USDZ | .usdz | scene | Opens in the viewer · can be written by any conversion | 7 | 15 | hub + viewer → |
| VRML | .wrl .vrml | scene | Opens in the viewer · never a conversion target, since nothing writes it | 8 | 0 | hub + viewer → |
The pair matrix
16 rows we can read from · 8 columns we can write to. ◆ full fidelity · ◇ tessellated · ≈ rebuilt from triangles · ▣ writes STEP, server lane.
120 pair pages · 120 of 120 passing, no skips.
Why there are only 8 columns
A format goes in a column when this site can write it and prove the result by reading it back. Eight formats are read here and never written: IGES, BREP, AMF, COLLADA, FBX, 3DM, VRML and 3DS. Nobody asks to receive any of them any more, so a writer would be work with no audience, and a column with no test behind it is the kind of claim this site doesn't make.
The "stores units" row on each format page means something precise. "Yes" means the format carries an explicit unit declaration that a reader can read back. glTF and VRML fix metres in their specifications instead of declaring it per file, so they read "no". That distinction is why a part converted through them arrives a thousand times out when a converter is careless.