Glossary- 3D Printing File Types

Here are some file types used in 3D printing:

• • • STL
      A simple, small, and widely supported file type that's good for simple prints.

    • OBJ
      A file type that's good for storing colors and textures, and is more capable than STL when describing geometries.

    • 3MF
      An open file format based on XML that's used for 3D printing, design, and modeling. It includes information about materials and colors that aren't available in the STL format.

    • AMF
      A file format used for storing and describing objects to be processed through 3D printing.

    • FBX
      A popular file format in the film and video game industry that supports geometry and appearance properties such as color and texture.

    • STEP
      A neutral 3D file format used in the engineering and defense industry. It can store all geometry including topology and geometrical tolerances, material types, textures, and other complex product data.

    • IGS
      A versatile file format that can be necessary if you need to transfer data between different applications or want to view your parameter data in a more user-friendly format.

    • Gcode
      The most common 3D printing file format that a 3D printer uses. It is a set of instructions for the 3D printer (temperature, movements, etc.) generated by slicing software from a 3D file format.

    • VRML
      A newer file type that can hold a single UV color map so they are ideal for 3D printers with two extruders and for models that consist of more than one color.