| Extension | 3MF |
| Full Name | 3D Manufacturing Format |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | application/vnd.ms-package.3dmanufacturing-3dmodel+xml |
| Format | Binary |
The 3MF file format was created as a standard storage medium for 3D models for use within the area of 3D printing. A 3MF file will contain 3D model data stored within an XML-formatted document with additional assets such as image previews and material data. These files are wrapped up within a compressed ZIP file (using the 3MF extension).
The 3MF format was created in response to the constraints of the STL format, which is the most popular format for storing 3D printable models. Unlike the STL format, which can only store triangular information, the 3MF format can store mesh geometry along with material, units of measurement, and other relevant 3D printing information that is impossible to store within an STL file.
Storing the 3D data within a ZIP file container ensures the file size is kept to a minimum while making it easily extendable in the future. 3MF files are widely supported by 3D printing slicer software and are a common export option within 3D editing software.
3MF Converter Capabilities
When converting 3D model or mesh files using our 3MF converter, we will attempt to convert colour materials into a suitable format for use in the converted file.
The OBJ file format is a 3D graphics file format used to define complex 3D models, including geometry, materials, and textures. OBJ files are text files, making them human-readable and easy to modify by hand. The downside to this ease of readability is that the files can become rather large when dealing with large or complex 3D models.
As mentioned, the OBJ format stores not only 3D model geometry but also materials and textures. These materials are usually defined in a separate file with the MTL file extension and specify geometry rendering details such as diffuse and specular colour, transparency, and much more.
The OBJ material file can also reference external texture files. These are usually JPEG or PNG files; however, these can be older formats, such as TGA. Where materials are used, the OBJ file will also contain material names preceding the geometry faces they should be applied to. If textures are referenced, the geometry will also contain texture coordinates (UV) for each vertex.
OBJ Converter Capabilities
When converting your 3MF to OBJ, our tool will attempt to accurately convert any colour or material information.
