The STL, or Standard Triangle Language, file format has been around since the '80s and is supported by most modern 3D modeling applications. In particular, the STL format has become something of a standard format within the area of 3D printing, despite the rise of more modern formats such as 3MF.
STL files come in two flavors: binary or text format. The text format is human-readable, making it easy to perform manual edits, but can lead to very large file sizes. As you can imagine, the binary format is much more compact and represents the majority of the STL files you are likely to encounter.
The format itself is very simple; the 3D model is represented by a sequential list of triangles, with each triangle defined with 3 points consisting of their X, Y, and Z positions, along with an additional vector that contains the face normal (the direction the face is pointing). There is an additional attribute block for each triangle; however, this is largely unused and thus unsupported.
STL Converter Capabilities
When converting 3D model or mesh files using our STL converter, we will attempt to convert color materials into a suitable format for use in the converted file.
| Extension | WRL |
| Full Name | Virtual Reality Modeling Language |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | model/vrml x-world/x-vrml application/x-cc3d |
| Format | Text |
| Opens With | MeshLab |
The WRL (or VRML) file format is used to store 3D models and their environments in a simple-to-edit, plain text format. The WRL format has been around since the 1990s and has gained widespread support as a convenient 3D graphics format.
The 3D data is stored within the file in a hierarchical format, allowing 3D objects to be grouped and manipulated together. The format also allows 3D objects to be assigned unique IDs, allowing them to be referenced elsewhere in the same document, allowing the same 3D model to be used multiple times while only defining its vertices, faces, and other 3D data once.
While the format still enjoys support within many 3D editing applications, the WRL format has been officially superseded by the XML-based X3D format, which comes with more features and, with its use of the standard XML format, more support amongst 3D modeling applications.
WRL Converter Capabilities
When converting your STL to WRL, our tool will attempt to accurately convert any color or material information.
