The digitization of objects and products initially poses problems for many of our customers, in particular the “right” data format for the intended purpose is often not known.

Which data formats do we supply?
Mesh data: OBJ, FBX, GLB, glTF, PLY, STL, Disney PTEX, E57, XYZRGB
Point clouds: PTX, BTX, XYZ, E57, PLY

We explain the most common file formats:

  • OBJ: OBJ (or .OBJ) is a file format for geometry definitions that was first developed by Wavefront Technologies. The file format is an open file format and can be used by most 3D programs. OBJ files do not store animations.
  • FBX: FBX files are a type of 3D model file that typically contain mesh, material, texture and skeletal animation data and can be used by most 3D applications.
  • GLB: The GLB file format is a binary form of glTF that contains textures, animations and lighting instead of referencing them as external images or in a Scene.bin. GLB was introduced as an extension of glTF 1.0 and integrated directly into glTF 2.0
  • glTF 2.0: glTF is a standard file format for three-dimensional scenes and models. A glTF file uses one of two possible file extensions: .glTF (JSON/ASCII) or .glb (binary).
    GLB and glTF are so-called WEB3D-capable 3D data formats and are characterized by a strong compression of the data volume. (Depending on the number of polygons of the source 3D and the resolution of the (PBR) textures.
  • PLY: The Polygon File Format (PLY for short or also known as Stanford Triangle Format) is a file format for storing three-dimensional data that was originally designed for use with 3D scanners.
  • STL: The STL data format is a standard interface of many CAD systems that was introduced by 3D Systems in 1988 in its stereolithography software. It provides mesh coordinates of three-dimensional data models for production using additive manufacturing processes/3D printing or rapid prototyping systems. An STL file can be printed in the 3D printer depending on the geometry and is our standard output format for structured light scans.
    Other names: Standard Triangle Language, Standard Tessellation Language.
  • E57: E57 is a compact, vendor-neutral file format used for the storage and exchange of three-dimensional (3D) image data such as point clouds, images and metadata. Such data is often created with systems such as laser scanners.
  • XYZRGB: XYZRGB files are part of XYZ RGB by XYZ RGB Inc. A 3D scan file format developed by XYZ RGB, Inc. that simultaneously captures the geometry [XYZ] and color [RGB] with perfect registration, regardless of ambient light and with near microscopic resolution. This format is also used by other scanner manufacturers, so it can also be found in conjunction with other scanners. (The accuracy depends on the system)
  • PTX: PTX is an ASCII-based file format for storing point cloud data, usually from LIDAR scanners. The information about each 3D point is stored as 4 or 7 values (depending on whether color information is stored or not). The coordinates for each point are stored untransformed in their own coordinate system, and the transformation matrix is provided as the header of the file. PTX cannot be used for disordered or unified clouds. All points, including those in the shadow, for which no coordinates have been calculated are saved.