Convert 3D model files (PLY) online for free
The converter easily converts your PLY 3D models to various formats - free and online. No MeshLab or other 3D software needed.
The converter also works in reverse, so you can convert other "Polygon File Format" formats to PLY without using software like MeshLab or a similar tool.
The .PLY (Polygon File Format) is a 3D model format originally developed by the Stanford University graphics lab to store raw 3D data from 3D scanners. It stores objects as collections of polygons or unmeshed point clouds, including vertex properties like color, transparency, surface normals, and texture coordinates. You can open and edit .PLY files using specialized 3D software such as Blender, MeshLab, or tools built on VTK.
Users frequently need to convert .PLY files because the format is notorious for generating massive file sizes, especially when storing high-density point clouds from LiDAR or photogrammetry. The ASCII version of the file is extremely slow to parse, and native web browser support is virtually nonexistent without heavy JavaScript libraries. Furthermore, many modern 3D game engines and web platforms struggle with its inconsistent material mapping.
To fix these issues, drop your file here to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software. For web deployment and AR/VR, convert to GLTF or GLB to utilize modern compression. For 3D printing, convert to STL for slicer compatibility. For general 3D editing and animation, convert to OBJ or FBX. Note that converting a raw point cloud .PLY to a mesh format like OBJ requires surface reconstruction algorithms, which may alter the original geometry.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your PLY file.
Users also converted 3D, E57, SPZ, LAS, STL, OBJ, ZIP, PTS, OSGB, RCS, MTL, GLB and MESH files.
If you want to convert PLY file to LAS, PCD, E57, STEP, USDZ, DAE or MAX, you can use MeshLab or similar software from the "3D Polygon/Point Cloud Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP or 3DM files to PLY, try MeshLab or another comparable tool in the "3D Polygon/Point Cloud Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PLY converter.