| Full Name | Standard Triangle Language |
| Extension | STL |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | application/vnd.ms-pki.stl |
| Format | Text |
The STL file format is used for storing 3D models and is a common format for distributing 3D printable models. STL files emerged in the 1980s as a format for storing a 3D mesh as a simple list of triangles. Due to its age and simplistic format, it has gained widespread support within 3D modeling and CAD applications.
As a result of the simple file format and its widespread support amongst 3D editors, the STL format has found itself as the format of choice for the distribution of 3D printable objects. There are many websites that offer 3D printing downloads in the STL format.
Mesh Geometry
As mentioned, STL files make use of a simple structure for containing the 3D mesh data. The 3D model is stored as a continuous list of triangles, with each triangle containing three vertices specifying the location in 3D space of the triangle, which, along with a single vector normal, is all that is required to render the model contained within the STL file. There are two formats of STL files: plain text and binary. When used with large and complex 3D models, the text format leads to very large file sizes and should be avoided, with the binary format offering more efficient storage of the mesh data.
STL Converter Capabilities
As materials containing color information is supported by the STL format, our tool will do its best to include this in the converted file.
| Full Name | 3D Manufacturing Format |
| Extension | 3MF |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | application/vnd.ms-package.3dmanufacturing-3dmodel+xml |
| Format | Binary |
The primary purpose of the 3MF format is to store and transmit 3D models for 3D printing. The format is ideally suited to this due to its ability to store not only the 3D model but also additional metadata required for 3D printing an object, such as units of measurement, surface material characteristics, and more.
Mesh Geometry
The 3MF file format is a mesh-based format; more specifically, the mesh is stored as a series of triangles that, when combined, can represent any 3D object. The format can contain many 3D mesh objects in a single file.
3MF Converter Capabilities
As materials containing color information is supported by the STL and 3MF formats, our tool will do its best to include this in the converted 3MF file.
