| Full Name | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
| Extension | JPEG |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/jpeg |
| Format | Binary |
A JPEG file is a flat, two-dimensional image file format created for the purpose of storing photographic images in a highly efficient digital format. JPEG files are widely used and supported by all image editing applications and can be opened on most devices with no additional image viewing software.
For many years, image file formats consumed large amounts of storage space while not offering 16.7 million full-color capabilities. JPEG aimed to solve this by offering a full-color solution combined with lossy compression techniques to allow high-resolution photographs to be stored using very little storage space and bandwidth.
Uses
The JPEG format is ideally suited to storing full-color photographic images. Due to the lossy compression it employs, it is not suitable for storing high-fidelity items such as logos and any image that contains transparency.
| 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.
