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.
STL Converter Capabilities
When converting 3D model or mesh files using our STL converter, we will attempt to convert colour materials into a suitable format for use in the converted file.
| Extension | DAE |
| Full Name | COLLADA - Collaborative Design Activity |
| Type | 3D Model |
| Mime Type | text/xml |
| Format | Text |
| Opens With | Blender, MeshLab |
A DAE file, also known as a Collada file, was developed by the Khronos Group as an open standard format for representing 3D models and their associated data in a manner that is both extensible and compatible with other 3D modelling applications.
The extensibility of the DAE format comes from the fact that content is stored within an XML structure, allowing the 3D model geometry to be stored along with texture and material information, as well as animations. As it is an extensible format, new features can be added relatively easily without impacting compatibility.
As mentioned, the DAE format was designed to be an open format, standardized to allow any 3D modelling application to easily implement support for DAE files. Popular 3D modelling apps such as Blender offer support for the DAE format out of the box.
DAE Converter Capabilities
When converting your STL to DAE, our tool will attempt to accurately convert any colour or material information.
