| Full Name | Portable Network Graphics |
| Extension | PNG |
| Type | Image |
| Mime Type | image/png |
| Format | Binary |
A PNG file is a two-dimensional image file format often used to store high-quality logos, icons, and other imagery. PNG files first emerged in the early 1990s as an alternative to the GIF format, which was in widespread use at the time. PNG files have garnered support over the years to at least equal or surpass that of the GIF format. You will find all modern image editing or viewing applications will support PNG files.
Part of the success of the PNG format is its use of special compression techniques that allow a high-resolution image to be compressed into a very small file size. The compression used in the PNG format is lossless compression, ensuring no image detail is lost when an image is saved to the PNG format.
Uses
The PNG format is ideally suited for storing images that require no loss of detail or have transparent areas, such as company logos and computer graphics icons. It is not suited for storing general photos as, due to the nature of the compression, it will result in very large file sizes. Other formats, such as JPEG, use a lossy compression method, and this format is better suited to full-color photographic images.
| Full Name | COLLADA - Collaborative Design Activity |
| Extension | DAE |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | text/xml |
| Format | Text |
The Khronos Group created the DAE file, a 3D model file format. The format is an XML text-based format, storing the 3D model information in a standardized XML structure, ensuring it is easy to add additional features without introducing compatibility issues.
Many 3D editing applications support the importing and exporting of DAE files, including the popular 3D editor Blender.
Mesh Geometry
DAE files support mesh geometry along with various types of surface definitions, from simple triangles to full polygon meshes. It has support for face and vertex normals and texture coordinates too. Mesh elements defined within the XML structure can be shared between multiple 3D objects within the final rendered scene.
