File Formats
There exist many different file formats for storing polygon mesh data. Each format is most effective when used for the purpose intended by its creator. Some of these formats are presented below:
| File suffix | Format name | Organization(s) | Program(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .raw | Raw mesh | Unknown | Various | Open, ASCII-only format. Each line contains 3 vertices, separated by spaces, to form a triangle, like so: X1 Y1 Z1 X2 Y2 Z2 X3 Y3 Z3 | |
| .blend | Blender File Format | Blender Foundation | Blender 3D | Open source, binary-only format | |
| .fbx | Autodesk FBX Format | Autodesk | Various | Proprietary. Binary and ASCII specifications exist. | |
| .3ds | 3ds Max File | Autodesk | 3ds Max | ||
| .dae | Digital Asset Exchange (COLLADA) | Sony Computer Entertainment, Khronos Group | N/A | Stands for "COLLAborative Design Activity". A universal format designed to prevent incompatibility. | |
| .dxf | Drawing Exchange Format | Autodesk | AutoCAD | ||
| .obj | Wavefront OBJ | Wavefront Technologies | Various | ASCII format describing 3D geometry alone. All faces' vertices are ordered counter-clockwise, thus removing the need to specify normals. | |
| .ply | Polygon File Format | Stanford University | Unknown | Binary and ASCII | |
| .pmd | Polygon Movie Maker data | Yu Higuchi | MikuMikuDance | Proprietary binary file format for storing humanoid model geometry with rigging, material, and physics information. | |
| .stl | Stereolithography Format | 3D Systems | N/A | Binary and ASCII format originally designed to aid in "3D printing". | |
| .amf | Additive Manufacturing File Format | ASTM International | N/A | Like the STL format, but with added native color, material, and constellation support. | |
| .wrl | Virtual Reality Modeling Language | Web3D Consortium | Web Browsers | ISO Standard 14772-1:1997 | |
| .wrz | VRML Compressed | Web3D Consortium | Web Browsers | ||
| .x3d, .x3db, .x3dv | Extensible 3D | Web3D Consortium | Web Browsers | ISO Standard 19775/19776/19777 | |
| .x3dz, .x3dbz, .x3dvz | X3D Compressed Binary | Web3D Consortium | Web Browsers | ||
| .c4d | Cinema 4D File | MAXON | CINEMA 4D | ||
| .mesh | OGRE XML | OGRE Development Team | OGRE, purebasic | Open Source. Binary (.mesh) and ASCII (.mesh.xml) format available. Includes data for vertex animation and Morph target animation (blendshape). Skeletal animation data in separate file (.skeleton). | |
| .z3d | Z3d | Oleg Melashenko | Zanoza Modeler | - | |
| .vtk | VTK mesh | VTK, Kitware | VTK, Paraview | Open, ASCII or binary format that contains many different data fields, including point data, cell data, and field data. |
Read more about this topic: Polygon Mesh
Famous quotes containing the word file:
“I have been a soreheaded occupant of a file drawer labeled “Science Fiction” ... and I would like out, particularly since so many serious critics regularly mistake the drawer for a urinal.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (b. 1922)