| 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 | 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.
DAE Converter Capabilities
As materials containing color information is supported by the STL and DAE formats, our tool will do its best to include this in the converted DAE file.
