Our free and fast tool will convert most 3D mesh or DAE (COLLADA - Collaborative Design Activity) model files to a standard PLY (Stanford Triangle Format) file that can then be edited further in most popular 3D editing packages such as Blender or 3D printed without any further processing. Our conversion tool can also batch convert multiple DAE files; up to 25 files at a time can be converted.
To convert your DAE file, click the Upload button above and select the file to convert. Once selected, the file will be converted to a PLY file and will be ready for download shortly afterwards. For more information about the DAE to PLY conversion process, see the conversion information section below.
| Extension | DAE |
| Full Name | COLLADA - Collaborative Design Activity |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | text/xml |
| Format | Text |
| Tools | DAE Converters, 3D Model Voxelizer, Create DAE Animation, DAE Asset Extractor, Text to DAE, DAE Viewer |
| Open With | Blender, MeshLab |
The DAE format (also known as COLLADA) is a 3D file format used to describe 3D models, meshes, and 3D worlds using a simple text-based structure. The format was introduced in 2004 by Sony Computer Entertainment and is currently managed by the Khronos Group.
DAE files are a text/XML-based file format containing 3D geometric information used to describe 3D objects and meshes such as vertices, faces, animations, materials, camera/lighting elements, and other related metadata. The format has widespread usage and support, with applications such as Blender and MeshLab being able to read and write to it.
If your DAE file is uploaded with accompanying texture files, these will be included in the conversion process.
| Extension | PLY |
| Full Name | Stanford Triangle Format |
| Type | 3D Model/Point Cloud |
| Mime Type | application/octet-stream |
| Format | Text & Binary |
| Tools | PLY Converters, 3D Model Voxelizer, Create PLY Animation, Compress PLY, Text to PLY, PLY Viewer |
| Open With | Blender, MeshLab |
The PLY format is a 3D model format originally developed and released in 1994, with its primary use being to store three-dimensional data from 3D digital scanners. The format known as the Polygon File Format or the Stanford Triangle Format can be either a binary or text-based format.
The file format stores 3D geometric information such as vertices, faces, vertex normals, color, and other custom data. The format is still in use, with many PLY models available to download, and PLY files can be loaded into most popular 3D applications, such as Blender.
PLY files support per-vertex color information. If your uploaded model contains color information, our tool will attempt to save this in the PLY file at the end of the conversion process.
Converting from the DAE file format to PLY can be a complex process, and any tool used for this conversion process needs to be able to handle a variety of data conversion tasks as well as identify any defects within the 3D model and fix them. Here we will explain the conversion process used by our tool to accurately convert your DAE file to a valid PLY 3D model. Let's start with the conversion process, which involves the following steps:
In its simplest form, an DAE file is a plain text file containing human-readable 3D data such as vertices, faces, normals, and more. When combined, these make up the 3D model you see on your screen.
When our tool reads this 3D data, all we are interested in are the vertices, faces, and normals, as this is the only data that can be accurately converted into the final PLY file.
The DAE file can contain other data, such as material definitions and textures, that describe how a particular set of 3D geometry should be rendered. As we are creating an PLY file, which does not support materials and textures, we will be ignoring this data if it is present in the DAE file.
For more information regarding the DAE file format, please see this great article that goes into a lot of detail explaining the DAE format.
With the DAE file data read, our tool generates an internal representation of the full 3D model and will attempt to fix any geometry issues encountered. Along with repairing any issues with the 3D model, the tool will remove any duplicated vertices and prepare the model for exporting to the PLY format.
With the conversion process entering its final stages, our tool now needs to take the in-memory 3D model we have created in step 2 and convert it to the PLY format.
If your DAE file has separate texture (PNG, JPG etc.) files, you can drag and drop these onto the upload tool along with the main DAE file. Our tool will intelligently detect which of these additional files belong with the DAE file. Alternatively, you can place these additional files, along with the DAE file within a ZIP or other compressed archive file and upload that.
We aim to process all DAE to PLY conversions as quickly as possible, this usually takes around 5 seconds but can be more for larger more complex files so please be patient.
The PLY file generated by our tool will be in the binary little endian format.
Yes, of course! We do not store the DAE file you submit to us. The resulting PLY file, once created is deleted 15 minutes after upload and the download link will expire after this time.
No. All our conversion tools process your DAE file on our dedicated conversion servers, meaning you can use our tools on low-spec computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices and receive your converted PLY file quickly.
Yes! Our DAE to PLY tool will run on any system with a modern web browser. No specialist software is needed to run any of our conversion tools.
Yes. Although you can use an Ad Blocker, if you like our DAE conversion tool please consider white-listing our site. When an Ad Blocker is enabled there are some conversion limits on some of our tools and processing/conversion times will be longer.
Yes. When you have converted your DAE to PLY, there is a "Feedback" option that you can use to let us know of any issues you encountered when converting your file.
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