PLY File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .ply
Full Name Polygon File Format (Stanford Triangle Format)
Developed by Stanford University
Format Type 3D Image Data
MIME Type application/octet-stream
Primary Use Representation of 3D models and objects
Structure Type ASCII or Binary
Element Types Vertices, Faces, and more
Coordinate System 3D Cartesian Coordinate System
Support for Colors Yes (RGBA color space)
Support for Textures Yes
Transparency Support Yes
Compression Not inherently, but can be compressed with file compression tools
Advantages Flexibility, support for various properties (color, transparency, etc.)
Limitations Can become very large, especially for complex models
Header Format Specifies format (ASCII/Binary), version, elements, and properties
Usage in Industries Computer Graphics, CAD, 3D Printing, Research
Interoperability Widely supported by various 3D software and libraries
Extension for Serialized Data No specific extension, standard .ply
Text Encoding For ASCII format, typically UTF-8