| 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 | Wavefront |
| Extension | OBJ |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | text/plain |
| Format | Text |
An OBJ file is a text-based file format used for the storage of 3D model data. The format was developed in the 1980s by Wavefront Technologies as a means to store the geometric mesh data associated with a 3D model. It has garnered widespread support in the following years, and you will find options to load from and save to the OBJ format in most modern 3D modeling applications.
As OBJ files are essentially text files, they can grow quite large when working with large and detailed 3D models.
Mesh Geometry
Within a 3D OBJ file are lists of vertices, mesh faces, face normals, texture coordinates, and more. The vertices, normals, and texture coordinates are stored in a continuous list and are indexed referenced within a separate list of mesh faces, ensuring optimal use of space within the file. A mesh face may contain three or more points, each of which can use a unique vector normal and texture coordinate.
OBJ Converter Capabilities
As materials containing color information is supported by the STL and OBJ formats, our tool will do its best to include this in the converted OBJ file.
