What is a 3D File Format?

From this short article you will quickly learn the most important information about what 3D files are, where 3D files are used, what type of 3D files they are and what the file - the 3D model inside - looks like. This article was created to help you and expand your knowledge.

What are 3D Files? These are files that allow you to save, stored and read data about the location of geometric points of three-dimensional 3D objects.
Some 3D files stored basic data about the location of a 3D object or 3D objects, and other 3D files stored additional data about material parameters - colors and UV mesh.
Some 3D files have the ability to stored more data, including color, materials, shaders, UV grid, camera position, light position, and 3D model animation, light animation, camera animation, and other scene data, and many other parameters necessary to generate a 3D image.

Files are saved by software for three-dimensional graphics, e.g.; Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, LightWave and many others. Check out more 3D modeling software.

3D files are also used to exchange data between 3D graphics applications.
e.g; The basic recording format in the Blender software is blend, and in the 3ds max software it is max. Between Blender (.blend) and 3ds max (.max) it is not possible to read basic file formats. You need to export the 3d model from Blender to the fbx file, then the fbx file can be imported in 3ds max.

If you have a 3D file and you don't know what software to open it with, check it here open 3D file.

What does the 3D file code look like? - The inside of a 3D file.

See what the 3D file looks like inside. You will see the code file of the 3D model.

Native 3D File Formats - proprietary and Neutral 3D File Formats - non-proprietary

What is Native 3D File Format? - Proprietary 3D File Formats

What is Native 3D File Format? (Proprietary File Formats) are files that are dedicated only to selected 3D graphics software. As the name suggests, "Proprietary File Formats" are files that the creators of these files reserve the ability to create scripts, plugins to open, import and export files in the software of their choice. These types of files are optimized by the creators of 3D modeling software. Such files include blend (.blend) files which can only be opened in Blender, max (.max) files can only be opened in 3ds max.

What are native 3d file formats? See the table below.

What is Neutral 3D File Format? - Non-Proprietary 3D File Formats

What is Neutral 3D File Format? (Non-Proprietary File Formats) are files that can be opened in many 3D graphics software (exchange 3d file formats). Such file formats include 3DS, OBJ, STL, STEP and STP, 3MF, IGES, X3D, DAE, and many others. These types of file formats make it much easier to exchange data between different 3D graphics software. If you create 3D models in Blender and your friend has 3ds max software, you can export the 3D model in Blender to 3DS format, and send him this file format.

What are Neutral 3D File Formats? See the table below.

Where are 3D Files used?

The main purpose of 3D files is to stored 3D object data and exchange data between graphics applications. 3d files are widely used in the graphic industry, including architectural studios for creating architectural visualizations, in studios creating computer games and mobile games, advertising studios, in engineering design, in the film industry for recording special effects, in animation studios and many other areas of 3D graphics.

What type of 3D files are there?

Check out how many 3D file formats there are. In addition, 2D file formats are also included.

What are the 3D File Formats? - Many Types of 3D File Formats

Software	Native 3D File Formats	Supported File Formats
Blender	blend	fbx, obj, stl, dae, abc, svg, ply, glb / gltf, x3d, bvh - only import, dxf, usd, 3ds - available in blender 2.79 and before.
Sketchup Make	skp	png, jpg, pbg, stL
Sketchup Pro	skp	3ds, obj - export, dae, dwg, dxf, fbx, dem, ifc, ddf, kmz, stl, ifcz, wrl, ip, xsi, eps, image
FreeCAD	fcstd	step, stl, iges, svg, dxf, obj, ifc, dae, scad, iv and many others
3DS MAX	max	import: fbx, 3ds, obj, abc, ai, dae, catpart, catproduct, dem / ddf (.dem, .xml, .ddf), dwg, flt, htr, ige, igs, iges, ipt, iam, jt, model, mdl, session, exp, dlv, dlv3, dlv4, prt, neu, g, asm, rvt, sat, shp, skp, sldprt, sldasm, stl, stp, step, trc, usd, usda, usdc, wire, wrl, wrz, xml. export: fbx, 3ds, abc, ai, ass, dae, dwf, dwg, dxf, flt, htr, igs, obj, pxproj, prt, neu, asm, sat, stl, svf, usd, usda, usdc, wrl.
MAYA	ma, mb,	mel, fbx, obj, dae, abc, iges, jt, sat, stp, step, stl, proe, wire, dwg, dxf, iam, itp, cat, nx, anim, apf
Cinema 4D	c4d	import; 3ds, alembic, bvh, dae, dem, fbx, dxf, stl, usd, wrl, obj, catia, dwg, iges - not all, jt, skp, solidworks, step export; 3ds, alembic, dae, dfx, .x, fbx, glTF, stl, usd, wrl, obj
Houdini 3D	geo, bgeo	obj, fbx
LightWave	lwo	obj, dxf, 3ds, dae, fbx, stl, ply
Modo	lxo	import: lwo, fbx, stl, obj, abc, dae, dxf, eps, ai, pdb, svg, 3dm, usd, usda, usdc, usdz, geo, sldprt, stdasm, axf. export: lwo, fbx, obj, stl, x3d, abc, dae, dxf, usd, usda, usdc, usdz, 3dm, geo, plt, svg, psd, glb, gltf, bin
Softimage	xsi	export: fbx, iges, obj, ply. import; iges, obj, fbx, ply,
Zbrush	zpr, ztl,	Import: obj, ma, stl, fbx export: obj, ma, stl, fbx, x3d, wrl
Rhinoceros 3D	3dm	import: 3mf, 3ds, fbx, obj, stl, skp, amf, ai, dwg, dxf, x, e57, dst, exp, dst, exp, off, gf, gft, gts, igs, iges, lwo, dgn, scn, stp, step, export: 3mf, 3ds, fbx, obj, stl, skp, amf, sat, ai, dwg, dxf, dae, cd, x, emf, wemf, gf, gft, pm, kmz, gts, igs, iges, lwo, udo, csv, stp, step, csv, x_t. And many others.
AutoCAD	dwg	cad, dxf, dgn, stp, 3ds - plugin, fbx
SolidWorks	sldprt, sldasm	iges, dxf, dwg, step, acis, stl, cad, pdf, vda, parasolid, obj, 3ds, fbx - plugin, off, ply, ply2, 3mf, wrl
Solid Edge	par, psm, asm	stp, igs, iges, stl, step, parasolid, microstation, acis, nx, plmxml, dxf and dwg - draf 2D