3d:export-formats [mh8 Wiki]

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====== 3D File Formats: Quick Notes ======

Short, practical take on the common formats.

Verdict: **glTF/GLB** is the default, with a few exceptions.

===== Formats =====

==== glTF / GLB ====
  * Open standard (Khronos), often called the "JPEG of 3D"
  * Supports PBR materials, skeletons, animations, morph targets
  * GLB packs everything (mesh, textures, animation) into a single file
  * Well supported and lightweight: first choice for real-time, web, games and general exchange
  * Weak spots: not meant for printing or CAD

==== OBJ ====
  * Old but still alive: plain-text format, very easy to read and parse
  * Static mesh only, with a separate material file (.mtl)
  * No bones, no vertex weights, no animation
  * Still common in sculpting tools, photogrammetry output and quick mesh exchange

==== STL ====
  * Stores only triangles (plus one facet normal per triangle)
  * No color, no materials, no units
  * Standard for 3D printing, also seen in medical imaging
  * Being replaced by 3MF for printing

==== FBX ====
  * Proprietary, controlled by Autodesk
  * Blender's importer/exporter is reverse-engineered and plays catch-up with format changes
  * Use it only when a pipeline demands it

===== Honorable mentions =====

==== 3MF ====
  * Modern replacement for STL
  * Carries units, colors, materials and multiple objects
  * Supported by most modern slicers

==== USD ====
  * Studio / VFX pipeline format, increasingly adopted
  * Built for large scenes and collaborative workflows

==== STEP ====
  * CAD / engineering format
  * Keeps true curved surfaces instead of triangles

===== Rule of thumb =====

^ Use case ^ Format ^
| Real-time, web, games, general exchange | glTF / GLB |
| 3D printing | 3MF (STL for older slicers) |
| Simple mesh swap | OBJ |
| Studio pipelines | USD |
| Engineering / CAD | STEP |
| Legacy pipeline that demands it | FBX |