Convert Your 3D Mesh/Model OBJ Files to VTK

Our free and fast tool will convert most 3D mesh or OBJ (Wavefront) model files to a standard VTK (Visualization Toolkit) 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 OBJ files; up to 25 files at a time can be converted.

To convert your OBJ file, click the Upload button above and select the file to convert. Once selected, the file will be converted to a VTK file and will be ready for download shortly afterwards. For more information about the OBJ to VTK conversion process, see the conversion information section below.

How to Convert your OBJ to VTK Online?

Here are two simple steps to convert your OBJ to VTK.

Upload a OBJ

Click the "Upload a OBJ File" button and select a OBJ to upload. The maximum file size is 100MB.

Download your VTK

Click the download link once completed to receive your VTK file.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I convert my OBJ file to VTK?

First click the "Upload..." button, select your OBJ file to upload. Select any configuration options. When the OBJ to VTK conversion has completed, you can download your VTK file straight away.

How long does it take to convert my OBJ to VTK?

We aim to process all OBJ to VTK conversions as quickly as possible, this usually takes around 5 seconds but can be more for larger more complex files so please be patient.

How accurate is the OBJ to VTK conversion?

We aim to create the most accurate conversions with our tools. Our tools are under constant development with new features and improvements being added every week.

Is it safe to convert my OBJ to VTK on ImageToStl.com?

Yes, of course! We do not store the OBJ file you submit to us. The resulting VTK file, once created is deleted 15 minutes after upload and the download link will expire after this time.

Can I convert my OBJ to VTK on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS or Mac OS?

Yes! Our OBJ to VTK tool will run on any system with a modern web browser. No specialist software is needed to run any of our conversion tools.

What if I am using an Ad Blocker, will that affect things?

Yes. Although you can use an Ad Blocker, if you like our OBJ 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.

My OBJ file contains materials and textures; how do I upload these?

If your OBJ file has separate material (MTL) and texture (PNG, JPG, etc.) files, you can drag and drop these onto the upload tool along with the main OBJ file. Our tool will intelligently detect which of these additional files belongs to the OBJ file. Alternatively, you can place these additional files, along with the OBJ file, within a ZIP or other compressed archive file and upload that.

I have several OBJ files; can I batch convert my OBJ to VTK?

Yes! Our OBJ tool supports full batch conversions. You can upload up to 25 and OBJ files at a time. Our tool will convert them all as quickly as possible. Once completed, you can either download the VTK files individually or download them all in a single ZIP file.

Comparing OBJ and VTK Features

OBJ Features

Mesh Geometry (Vertices and Faces)
Vertex Normals
Face Normals
Vertex Colors
Face Materials (Excluding textures)
Textures
Point Cloud
Multiple Objects Per File
Object Transforms (Translation, Rotation, and Scale)
Bones/Joints
Animations
Suitable for 3D Printing

VTK Features

Mesh Geometry (Vertices and Faces)
Vertex Normals
Face Normals
Vertex Colors
Face Materials (Excluding textures)
Textures
Point Cloud
Multiple Objects Per File
Object Transforms (Translation, Rotation, and Scale)
Bones/Joints
Animations
Suitable for 3D Printing

File Format Information for OBJ to VTK

Extension	OBJ
Full Name	Wavefront
Type	3D Model
Mime Type	text/plain
Format	Text
Tools	OBJ Converters, 3D Model Voxelizer, Create OBJ Animation, Compress OBJ, OBJ Asset Extractor, Text to OBJ, OBJ Viewer
Open With	Daz Studio, MeshLab, CAD Assistant

Description

The OBJ file format, originally created by Wavefront Technologies and later adopted by many other 3D software vendors, is a simple text-based file format for describing 3D models/geometry. This data can include vertices, faces, normals, texture coordinates, and references to external texture files.

As the format is text-based, it is relatively straightforward to parse in 3D modeling applications. A downside of the text-based format is that the files can be rather large compared to similar binary formats such as STL and compressed files such as 3MF.

OBJ Notes

If your OBJ file is uploaded with accompanying MTL and texture files, these will be applied to the conversion process.

Supported Features

Mesh geometry
Materials (Via an MTL file)
Textures (PNG, JPG, TGA formats)

Extension	VTK
Full Name	Visualization Toolkit
Type	3D Model
Mime Type	application/octet-stream
Format	Binary
Tools	VTK Converters, 3D Model Voxelizer, Create VTK Animation, Text to VTK, VTK Viewer

Description

The VTK file format is a 3D modeling and graphics format supported by the Visualization Toolkit. Created in the '90s, the Visualization Toolkit provides a series of data and visual tools for advanced 3D modeling applications. Some example functions of the toolkit include polygon simplification, mesh repair and smoothing, and more.

The format has evolved over the years. It started out as a simple text-based format that could be edited within a simple text editor. Additional features have been added over the years, with the most recent version of the format supporting an XML-based format.

VTK Notes

Any model converted to the VTK format will be stored in a triangulated mesh format.

Supported Features

Polygon mesh
Triangle strip-base mesh

How does it work?

Converting from the OBJ file format to VTK 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 OBJ file to a valid VTK 3D model. Let's start with the conversion process, which involves the following steps:

Step 1: Read the Source OBJ File

In its simplest form, an OBJ 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 VTK file.

The OBJ 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 VTK file, which does not support materials and textures, we will be ignoring this data if it is present in the OBJ file.

For more information regarding the OBJ file format, please see this great article that goes into a lot of detail explaining the OBJ format.

⇪

Step 2: Process File Data

With the OBJ 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 VTK format.

⇪

Step 3: Saving to the VTK 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 VTK format.