Convert glTF to PLY
Convert a glTF file to PLY in your browser. Free, no upload, no sign-up.
Convert glTF files to PLY directly in your browser. The converter parses the glTF mesh, rebuilds it in memory and writes it out as PLY, keeping every triangle. Nothing is uploaded, there is no file size limit beyond your computer's memory, and the result downloads instantly. PLY preserves per-vertex colors from scans and is the native format of MeshLab and most scanning pipelines.
How to convert glTF to PLY
- 1Drop your glTF file
Drag a .gltf file onto the box above or click to choose one. Only self-contained .gltf files (embedded buffers) can be imported here, because external .bin and texture files cannot be resolved in the browser.
- 2Check the preview
The model renders in 3D so you can confirm it loaded correctly. Dimensions, volume and triangle count are shown next to it; open edges are flagged if the mesh is not watertight.
- 3Download the PLY
Adjust the export options if needed and click download. Per-vertex colors are kept when the source has them; textures are not.
What is a glTF file?
glTF is the JSON form of the same Khronos standard as GLB. The .gltf file describes the scene as readable JSON; binary buffers and textures may be embedded as base64 or kept as separate files. It is convenient when you want to inspect or edit the scene description by hand.
Commonly used by: web developers, Babylon.js / three.js, Blender, Unity and Unreal importers
Only self-contained .gltf files (embedded buffers) can be imported here, because external .bin and texture files cannot be resolved in the browser.
What is a PLY file?
PLY was designed at Stanford to store 3D scanner output. It supports per-vertex colors and arbitrary custom properties, in either ASCII or binary encoding, which is why scanning and photogrammetry software prefers it over STL.
Commonly used by: 3D scanners, photogrammetry (Meshroom, RealityCapture), MeshLab, research tools
PLY preserves per-vertex colors from scans and is the native format of MeshLab and most scanning pipelines.
glTF vs PLY
| glTF | PLY | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | GL Transmission Format | Polygon File Format |
| Encoding | Text | Text or binary |
| Geometry type | Triangle mesh | Triangle mesh |
| Colors | Yes | Yes |
| Textures | Yes | No |
| Materials | Yes | No |
| Stores units | Yes | No |
| Multiple objects | Yes | No |
| Typical use | web developers, Babylon.js / three.js, Blender | 3D scanners, photogrammetry (Meshroom, RealityCapture), MeshLab |