Online PLY viewer
Drop your PLY file and explore it instantly: real-mm measurements, wireframe and screenshots. The file never leaves your computer.
About the PLY format
PLY is a mesh or point-cloud format that can store per-vertex color — typical of 3D scanners. It's mostly used for 3D scanning, photogrammetry, mesh processing (MeshLab, CloudCompare), and it stores geometry, normals and per-vertex colors.
Frequently asked questions
What does PLY have that STL doesn't?
Per-vertex color, normals and arbitrary per-point properties. That's why it's the favorite format of 3D scanners: it captures appearance as well as shape.
Why does my PLY look gray?
Not every PLY carries color: if the scanner exported geometry only, there's nothing to show. If you're sure it has vertex color, check it's a standard PLY (some scanners use proprietary variants).
Can I print a PLY directly?
Most slicers won't take it — convert to STL first. Vertex color is lost in the conversion, but for single-color printing that doesn't matter.
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