| Extension | AI |
| Full Name | Adobe Illustrator |
| Type | Vector |
| Mime Type | application/octet-stream |
| Format | Binary |
The AI file format is the native file extension associated with the Adobe Illustrator vector editing software. The format stores graphics in vector form, enabling content to be scaled without any loss of detail or pixelation associated with bitmap formats.
A wide range of image data can be stored within an AI file, including basic drawing elements such as lines, curves, and other shapes and colours, gradient fill, and other effects that control the rendering of elements. All these drawing elements are arranged in an independent manner, allowing easy editing of the individual elements that make up the final image.
AI files can be imported into a wide range of vector editing software with varying degrees of accuracy, meaning that for maximum compatibility, Adobe Illustrator software is best used when editing AI files.
The STL, or Standard Triangle Language, file format has been around since the '80s and is supported by most modern 3D modelling 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 flavours: 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.
