Our free and fast tool will convert most 3D mesh or VTK (Visualization Toolkit) 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 VTK files; up to 25 files at a time can be converted.
To convert your VTK 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 VTK to PLY conversion process, see the conversion information section below.
| 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 |
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.
Our tool will export only polygon or triangle-strip-based mesh data. Textures and compressed binary data are not supported and will be ignored.
| 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 VTK 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 VTK file to a valid PLY 3D model. Let's start with the conversion process, which involves the following steps:
In its simplest form, an VTK file is a binary data file containing 3D data such as vertices, faces, normals, and more. When combined, these make up the 3D model you see on your screen.
For more information regarding the VTK file format, please see this great article that goes into a lot of detail explaining the VTK format.
With the VTK 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.
The PLY file generated by our tool will be in the binary little endian format.
We aim to process all VTK 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 VTK 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 VTK 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 VTK 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 VTK 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 VTK 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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