Our free and fast tool will convert most 3D mesh or STL (Standard Triangle Language) 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.
To convert your STL 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 ready for download shortly afterwards. For more information about the STL to PLY conversion process see the conversion information section below for more information.
Here are 2 simple steps to convert your STL to PLY.
You can convert from both text and binary STL files. If your STL file contains color information we will bring this over.
The PLY file generated by our tool will be in the binary little endian format.
First click the "Upload..." button, select your STL file to upload. Select any configuration options. When the STL to PLY conversion has completed, you can download your PLY file straight away.
We aim to process all STL 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.
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.
Yes, of course! We do not store the STL 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.
Yes! Our STL 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 STL 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.
| Extension | STL |
| Full Name | Standard Triangle Language |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | application/vnd.ms-pki.stl |
| Format | Text & Binary |
| Open With | Blender, MeshLab, CAD Assistant, DAZ Studio |
The STL file format has its roots in the 1980's and is the native file format for 3D Systems stereolithography CAD software. The format defines a triangulated mesh with vertices and faces and is a popular format for sharing 3D printable model files.
There were several formats that attempted to extend the STL format namely SolidView and VisCAM whose formats included limited 15-bit color information for each mesh face which is often ignored by most modern 3D software. The STL format can be either Text or Binary, our tools will support both formats.
Standard STL files do not contain material or color information so this cannot be imported. There are however two formats (VisCAM and SolidView) that attempted to add color information to the STL file format. If our tool detects this additional color information it will attempt to import this information.
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 and also 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.
© 2023 ImageToStl. Convert your PNG and JPG Files to 3D STL files.
