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3DAI
Free · runs in your browser · no signup

Convert STL to PLY

PLY is the mesh format of MeshLab, CloudCompare, 3D scanning software and many research tools. This converter reads your STL, merges the corners that sit on the same point (STL repeats them for every triangle), and writes a PLY with a vertex list and a face list, in binary or ASCII. The numbers stay exactly as they are in the STL. Nothing is uploaded.

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How to use it

  1. 1

    Add your .stl

    Drop a binary or ASCII STL onto the box or click to choose it.

  2. 2

    Check the model

    The preview shows the mesh, its size and its triangle count.

  3. 3

    Pick binary or ASCII

    Binary is smaller and faster to load. ASCII is plain text you can open in an editor.

  4. 4

    Download the PLY

    One .ply file with shared vertices and triangle faces.

What to know before you convert

  • STL has no colour, so the PLY has none either. Colour a mesh in MeshLab or Blender after converting.
  • No normals are written. MeshLab, CloudCompare and Blender compute them when they open the file.
  • Triangles that collapse to a line or a point when corners are merged are left out, and the number is shown.
  • The size is not changed: the PLY has the same numbers as the STL (usually millimetres).

Don't have a model?

Create one with AI from a photo, a sentence or a sketch. The generators use credits; this converter is free and stays in your browser.

Image to 3D →Turn one photo into a textured 3D model.Text to 3D →Describe an object and get a GLB.Sketch to STL →Draw it, get a printable model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Drop the .stl on the box above, choose binary or ASCII and click Download PLY. The file is converted in your browser.
Usually yes. An STL stores every corner three or more times; the PLY stores each point once and refers to it by number, so a binary PLY is often around half the size of a binary STL.
Not from an STL, because STL files do not store colour. If you need a coloured PLY, start from a format that has colour (such as OBJ with materials or a 3MF), or paint the mesh in MeshLab.
Pick binary unless a tool asks for ASCII. Both hold the same mesh; ASCII is several times larger but readable as text.
No. The page reads the file and converts it inside your browser with the open-source three.js library. Nothing is sent to our servers, there is no account, and no credits are used. Closing the tab discards everything.