Compare 3D file formats

Every 3D format is a trade-off between what it stores and where it opens. Pick a pair to see the differences, when each one wins, and how to convert between them.

GLB compared

GLB vs glTFThey are the same format in two packagings. GLB packs the scene, geometry and textures into one binary file, which is what you want for sharing, uploading and loading on the web. A .gltf file is JSON you can open in a text editor, usually alongside a .bin and image files, which is handy when you need to inspect or hand-edit scene data. Converting between them loses nothing.GLB vs FBXBoth carry meshes, PBR-style materials, textures and animation. GLB is an open Khronos standard designed for fast loading, and it is the default for the web, AR and Godot. FBX is Autodesk's proprietary format and remains the most common interchange format in Unity, Unreal and traditional animation pipelines. Choose by destination: web and real-time sharing favour GLB, studio pipelines often still expect FBX.GLB vs USDZGLB and USDZ are the two formats of mobile AR. Android, the web and most 3D viewers use GLB; Apple's AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad uses USDZ. Both hold textured PBR models in a single file. Most stores and product pages keep both: GLB for the web viewer and USDZ for iOS AR. If you can only make one, GLB covers more places, and some platforms, such as Shopify, generate the USDZ for you.GLB vs OBJOBJ is decades old and readable almost everywhere, but it only describes static geometry with basic materials, and its textures live in separate files. GLB stores modern PBR materials, embedded textures, scene hierarchy and animation in one compact binary. For web, AR and engines, GLB is the stronger format; OBJ's advantage is that very old or very simple tools still accept it.GLB vs STLThese formats serve different jobs. GLB is a full display format with colours, textures, scene structure and animation, built for screens. STL is a printing format with nothing but triangles. To print a GLB, convert it to STL and you keep the shape; going from STL to GLB gives you something you can view and share on the web, but you'll need to add colour, because STL never had any.GLB vs DAEGLB and Collada both come from the Khronos Group, and glTF was designed as the modern successor for delivery. GLB is compact binary built for fast loading; DAE is verbose XML from 2004 aimed at interchange between authoring tools. GLB is smaller, loads faster and is far better supported today, so converting old DAE assets to GLB is usually the right move.GLB vs 3MFGLB is built for displaying models on screens; 3MF is built for manufacturing them. GLB carries textures, PBR materials and animation; 3MF carries units, per-object colours and print settings. A GLB can be turned into a printable STL or 3MF shape, but textures don't carry over to a print, and 3MF data like print settings means nothing to a web viewer.

glTF compared

glTF vs FBXglTF is the open, royalty-free scene format from the Khronos Group, designed to be loaded quickly by real-time engines and browsers. FBX is Autodesk's long-established proprietary format. Both carry materials, skeletons and animation. The .gltf variant is JSON, which makes it inspectable; FBX is usually binary. New web and AR pipelines generally standardise on glTF, while many studio tools still default to FBX.glTF vs OBJglTF and OBJ both have readable text forms, but glTF describes a whole modern scene with PBR materials, hierarchy and animation, while OBJ describes a static mesh with basic materials. glTF's binary data lives in a .bin file or is embedded; OBJ is all text. For anything beyond a simple static mesh, glTF keeps far more.glTF vs USDZglTF and USDZ are the two modern open delivery formats. glTF, from the Khronos Group, is the default for the web, Android and most engines. USDZ, built on Pixar's USD, is the default for Apple's AR and is gaining ground in visualisation pipelines. Many teams author once and export both, keeping glTF as the master for web and USDZ for iOS AR.

STL compared

STL vs OBJSTL is the standard for 3D printing: it stores only triangles, with no colour, no units and no textures, which is all a slicer needs. OBJ also stores the shape but adds UV coordinates and basic materials in a companion .mtl file, so it suits rendering and texturing work too. For a single-colour print, STL is the safer, more universally accepted choice; for anything that will be painted, textured or edited, OBJ keeps more.STL vs 3MF3MF was created to replace STL for 3D printing. Where STL is just a list of triangles with no units, 3MF is a zipped package that records units, colours, multiple objects and even print settings. Modern slicers such as Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer and Cura read both. STL is still the most widely shared format, but 3MF is the better choice when you control both ends.STL vs PLYBoth store raw geometry with no units. STL holds triangles only and is the language of slicers. PLY can also store per-vertex colour, normals and point clouds, which is why 3D scanners and tools like MeshLab and CloudCompare export it. For printing, STL is the expected format; for scans and coloured meshes, PLY keeps information STL throws away.STL vs FBXSTL and FBX sit at opposite ends. STL is a minimal printing format with triangles only. FBX is a rich scene format with materials, rigs and animation for games and film. Going from FBX to STL is a common step before 3D printing a character, and it drops everything except the shape. Going from STL to FBX gives an engine-friendly file, but no materials appear that weren't there.

FBX compared

FBX vs OBJFBX is a full scene format from Autodesk: it carries rigs, skin weights, animation, cameras and lights, which is why game engines and animation tools favour it. OBJ is a simple, open text format for static meshes with basic materials. If the model moves, FBX is the only one of the two that keeps the motion; if it's a static prop, OBJ is simpler and opens almost everywhere.FBX vs DAEFBX and Collada (DAE) were both built to move whole scenes, including rigs and animation, between 3D apps. Collada is an open XML format from the Khronos Group; FBX is Autodesk's proprietary format. In practice FBX won: it is better supported in Unity, Unreal and Autodesk tools, while Collada support is shrinking, and Blender 5.0 removed it. Use DAE only when an older tool requires it.

PLY compared

PLY vs OBJPLY is the scanner's format: it stores colour on each vertex and can hold point clouds without faces. OBJ stores meshes with UVs and material references, which is how texture-mapped models are usually exchanged. Turning a coloured scan into OBJ keeps the shape, but per-vertex colour only survives if it's baked into a texture first.PLY vs GLBPLY is a raw data format for scans: vertices, faces, per-vertex colour and point clouds. GLB is a delivery format for displaying models with materials and textures. Converting a coloured PLY scan to GLB makes it easy to share in a browser or AR, while keeping the PLY is better if you'll process the scan further.

3MF compared

3MF vs OBJBoth can carry colour, but in different ways. 3MF is a printing format: a zipped package with units, colours per object or triangle, and print settings. OBJ is a general-purpose mesh format with UVs and materials in a separate .mtl file, used for rendering and texturing. Choose 3MF when the destination is a modern slicer, and OBJ when it's a 3D or rendering app.

DAE compared

DAE vs OBJCollada (DAE) is an XML scene format that can carry hierarchy, materials and animation; OBJ is a minimal text format for static meshes. Both are older and both are text. If you need animation or a node hierarchy, DAE keeps it and OBJ doesn't, but because Collada support is declining in modern tools, converting to GLB or FBX is often better than either.

USDZ compared

USDZ vs FBXUSDZ is Apple's packaging of Pixar's Universal Scene Description, used for AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad and increasingly across film and visualisation pipelines. FBX is Autodesk's interchange format for games and animation. Use USDZ when the model is going to Apple devices or USD-based pipelines, and FBX when it's going into Unity, Unreal or Autodesk tools.USDZ vs OBJUSDZ is a modern packaged format for AR on Apple devices, carrying PBR materials and textures in one file. OBJ is a very old, simple mesh format with separate material and texture files. To put a static model into AR on iPhone, USDZ is the format you need; OBJ is a convenient source to convert from, and our OBJ to USDZ converter does exactly that.