Convert PLY to STL
PLY files often come out of 3D scanners and photogrammetry tools, and they're great for capturing shape and color. But most slicers and printers want STL. This converter turns a PLY mesh into a clean STL you can drop straight into your slicer.
It runs entirely in your browser. Your file is read and converted on your own device and never gets uploaded to a server, so it works offline and stays private.
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How it works
Good to know
FAQ
Will my scan colors survive the conversion?
No, and this is the one thing to know going in. PLY can store a color value on every vertex (common with scanner and photogrammetry output), but STL stores geometry only - no color, no texture, no material. The converted STL will have the exact same shape, just no color. If you need to keep the color, hold onto your original PLY or export to a format like OBJ+MTL or glTF instead.
Does the shape or scale change at all?
No. Vertices and faces are copied over 1:1, so dimensions, proportions, and detail are identical to the source mesh. If your PLY measured 80mm wide, the STL is 80mm wide.
What units will the STL be in?
STL files are unitless - they just store raw numbers. The converter doesn't rescale anything, so the numbers stay exactly as they were in the PLY. If your scanner exported in millimeters, your slicer will read millimeters; if it was in meters or inches, your model may import 1000x too big or too small. When that happens, fix the scale in your slicer rather than re-converting.
Can it handle a big, dense scan mesh?
Usually yes. Because everything runs in your browser using your own machine's memory, very large scans (millions of triangles) depend on your device's RAM rather than an upload limit. A heavy mesh may take a few seconds and use noticeable memory. If a giant scan struggles, decimating or cleaning it in a mesh tool first will help both the conversion and your printer.
Is the STL ready to 3D print as-is?
It's print-ready in format, but a clean STL isn't the same as a watertight model. Scanner-derived PLYs sometimes have holes, non-manifold edges, or stray faces. The conversion preserves the mesh faithfully - including any defects - so run the STL through your slicer's repair or a mesh-cleanup tool before a serious print.
Is my file actually private?
Yes. The conversion happens locally in your browser tab - your PLY is never uploaded, stored, or seen by us. You can confirm it by turning off your network and converting anyway; it still works.