PLY Viewer
Open a .ply scan or mesh, with its vertex colours, to inspect it, measure it and convert it.
- Meshes & point clouds
- Vertex colours
- Measure
- No upload
Drop a PLY file here.
Drag to rotate · scroll or pinch to zoom · right-drag or two fingers to pan
What is a PLY file?
PLY (Polygon File Format, also called the Stanford Triangle Format) stores 3D data from scanners and photogrammetry: vertices with optional colours and normals, and optionally faces. Files without faces are point clouds. This viewer renders PLY meshes with their vertex colours, shows point clouds as points, and reports size, triangle count, area and volume for meshes.
How to view a PLY file
- Choose Open File and pick your PLY (add its textures or material files too), or drag them onto the viewer.
- Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, and right-drag or two-finger drag to pan.
- Switch between shaded, wireframe and X-ray, use the view buttons, or cut a section to see inside.
- Read the size, volume and triangle count, measure between two points, then export or take a snapshot.
Tips for checking a print
- STL has no units. Most printing files are in millimetres; if a model looks 25 times too small, it was probably exported in inches.
- A watertight mesh is required for an accurate volume. If the check fails, repair the model in your slicer or in Meshmixer.
- Use the section view to check wall thickness and hidden internal geometry.
- Weight estimates assume 100% infill; with typical 15–20% infill and walls, expect 30–50% of the solid weight.
Why use this PLY viewer
- Measure, not just lookDimensions, triangle count, surface area, volume and a watertight check, plus click-to-measure distances and a section view.
- Print estimatesSolid weight and 1.75 mm filament length for common materials, from the exact mesh volume.
- Watertight checkFind holes and non-manifold edges that cause slicing errors, before you waste a print.
- Your model stays on your deviceFiles are read and rendered in your browser with WebGL. Nothing is uploaded, so unreleased products, client work and scans stay private.
Supported 3D formats
| Format | Files | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| STL | .stl | Triangles only (ASCII or binary); the standard for 3D printing |
| 3MF | .3mf | Modern print format with objects, colours and units |
| OBJ | .obj + .mtl | Text format from modelling tools; materials and textures in separate files |
| glTF / GLB | .gltf, .glb | Web and AR standard with PBR materials and animations |
| FBX | .fbx | Autodesk exchange format for animation and game engines |
| PLY | .ply | Scans and point clouds, often with vertex colours |
| Collada, 3DS, AMF, VRML | .dae, .3ds, .amf, .wrl | Older exchange and print formats |
Common uses
- Before slicing. Check orientation, scale and holes.
- Downloads from Thingiverse or Printables. Preview files without installing software.
- Quoting prints. Get volume and weight for pricing.
- CAD exports. Confirm an export from Fusion, SolidWorks or Onshape came out right.
More file tools: view SVG images as PNG, inspect photo metadata or convert images to ICO icons.
Example: a 3D scan
Open a phone scan exported as PLY with colours. The viewer shows the coloured mesh; if the watertight check fails, fill holes before printing.
What to expect from the result
Colour STL variants are shown when present. Volume and weight assume a closed mesh. Extremely large files are limited by your browser’s memory.
PLY Viewer questions
Can it show PLY point clouds?
Yes. PLY files without faces are drawn as points, with their colours if present.
Are vertex colours supported?
Yes. Colours stored per vertex are shown automatically.
Can I convert PLY to STL?
Yes for meshes: choose Export → STL. Point clouds have no surface, so they cannot be converted to STL.
How large a file can I open?
It depends on your device’s memory and graphics. Models with a few million triangles open on most laptops; very large scans may be slow on phones.
Are my 3D files uploaded?
No. The viewer runs entirely in your browser using WebGL; the file is never sent to a server and the page keeps working offline once loaded.