PLY to STP Converter
Drop a .ply file below and get a .stp back. The conversion happens inside this page using WebAssembly, so nothing is uploaded to a server and there is no queue to wait in.
- Private by designFiles stay on your device.
- No queueConversion starts instantly.
- No sign upNo account, no limits per day.
Compatibility
What survives the trip from PLY to STP.
| Feature | PLY | STP | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Vertex colors | Supported | Partial | Not supported |
| Materials | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
| Textures | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
| Scene hierarchy | Not supported | Partial | Not supported |
| Animation | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported |
How to convert PLY to STP
- 1Add your PLY fileDrop the .ply file into the box, or pick it from disk. Multiple files are converted one after another.
- 2Pick STP as the outputSTP is already selected on this page. Adjust scale, up axis or triangle budget if the target application is picky.
- 3Download the resultThe .stp file is written locally and appears as a download button next to your file.
About PLY
PLY was designed for range scanner output, so it stores arbitrary per vertex properties such as colour, confidence and intensity. Both an ASCII and a compact binary variant exist and both are widely supported.
- MeshLab
- CloudCompare
- Blender
- RealityCapture
About STP
STEP (ISO 10303, usually AP203 or AP214) describes precise boundary representation solids, which is why it moves parts between SolidWorks, CATIA, Inventor and Onshape without losing accuracy. Files are plain text and can be inspected in any editor.
- Reading STEP is exact: the B-rep surfaces are tessellated for preview only.
- Writing STEP from a mesh produces a faceted surface model, not smooth analytic surfaces. Triangles become planar faces, so files grow quickly and there is no parametric history to recover.
- SolidWorks
- CATIA
- Inventor
- Onshape
- FreeCAD
- Fusion 360
Questions
Is this PLY to STP converter free?
Yes. There is no account, no daily quota and no watermark. The tool is a static web page and the work is done by your own CPU, so there are no server costs to pass on.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. MeshFormat loads a WebAssembly build of the geometry kernels into your browser and reads the file locally. You can open the network tab and confirm that nothing leaves the page, or disconnect after the page has loaded and keep converting.
How large can a PLY file be?
The practical limit is your available memory rather than an arbitrary cap. Models up to a few hundred megabytes work on a normal laptop; very dense scans convert faster if you lower the triangle budget in the options.
What is lost when converting PLY to STP?
Vertex colors: vertex colours are dropped because the output format has nowhere to store a colour per vertex.
Anything to know about STP output?
Reading STEP is exact: the B-rep surfaces are tessellated for preview only.
Which programs open STP files?
SolidWorks, CATIA, Inventor, Onshape and most other tools that work with CAD data read .stp directly.