CAD File Format Encyclopedia

Industry standard for precise 3D solid model exchange between CAD systems.

Legacy NURBS surface format widely supported by aerospace and older CAD systems.

The universal 3D printing format — simple triangle meshes readable by every slicer on the market.

Versatile mesh format with UV texture coordinates — the go-to for rendering and visualization.

Modern 3D printing format with color, material, and multi-part support — better than STL in every way.

The web standard for 3D — PBR materials, compact size, and native AR/VR support.

The game and VFX industry standard for animated assets — mesh, skeleton, and animation in one file.

Early web 3D standard — color meshes and scene hierarchy for virtual worlds and industrial viewers.

Autodesk's universal CAD exchange format for 2D drawings, laser cutting, and lightweight 3D geometry.

Stanford polygon format with per-vertex attributes — ideal for point clouds and 3D scan data.

OpenCASCADE's native exact-geometry format — the foundation for FreeCAD and OCC-based CAD tools.

XML-based scene format with animations and materials — used in game pipelines and robotic simulation.

ISO-standard XML format for 3D printing with color, curved triangles, and multi-material support.

XML successor to VRML — interactive web 3D with animations and scripted behaviors.

Minimal ASCII mesh format for computational geometry research and mesh processing tools.

AutoCAD native format. 2D drawings and 3D models used in architecture, engineering, and construction.

Pixar's scene format. USDZ powers Apple AR Quick Look, Vision Pro, and professional VFX pipelines.