3D File Types

Last updated: 08.05.2002

This page lists some of the file formats that you can expect to encounter while working with 3D modelling and imaging programs. It is intended to give a brief overview of the commonest formats, rather than to provide an exhaustive guide. Note that the same file extension may sometimes be used for two radically different formats. '.b3d', for example, might indicate a file in the native format used by Bryce 3D, or a QuickDraw 3D binary file.

This note should be considered a work in progress; more types will be added in due course.

3D Model Formats

Extension	Type	Notes
.3ds	3D Studio	Native format of 3D Studio Max. Commonly used for exchange of 3D models.
.3mf	3D MetaFile	Format used by Apple's QuickDraw 3D, sometimes used for 3D model exchange.
.b3d	Bryce 3D	Native file format for Bryce 3D.
.b3d	3D MetaFile (binary)	Binary version of format used by Apple's QuickDraw 3D.
.car	Carrara	Native format of Carrara.
.dxf	DXF	Simple file format for exchange of 3D models between applications. Does not support texture maps.
.obj	Wavefront OBJ	Native format of Alias Wavefront. Widely used for exchange of 3D models. Supports texture maps as separate .mtl files.
.pz3	Poser	Native format of Poser 3 and Poser 4.
.rds	Ray Dream Studio	Native format of MetaCreations Ray Dream Studio.
.wrl	VRML	Format used by Virtual Reality Modelling Language, a proposed 3D standard for use on the Web. Typically a final output rather than an exchange format.

2D Image Formats

Extension	Type	Notes
.bmp	Bitmap	A Windows bitmap standard.
.gif	GIF	Compuserve's Graphics Image Format, an 8-bit image format most suited for simple computer graphics. Widely used on the Web.
.jpg/.jpe/.jpeg	JPEG	Compressed image format developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group. Small file sizes at the expense of some loss of quality.
.pct/.pict	PICT	Native format used on Apple's Macintosh computers,a hybrid system mixing vector and bitmapped graphics.
.png	PNG	Portable Network Graphics, a proposed standard for Web graphics that has yet to really take off.
.psd	Photoshop	Native file format for Adobe Photoshop.
.tif/.tiff	TIFF	Tagged Image File Format
.wmf	Windows MetaFile	Native hybrid format for computers using Microsoft Windows.

Other formats

Extension	Type	Notes
.brt	Bryce Texture Library	A library of textures for use in the Materials Editor of Bryce 3D or Bryce 4.
.bsk	Bryce Sky Presets	A library of sky presets for use in Bryce 3D or Bryce 4.
.mat	Bryce Materials Library	A library of materials for use in Bryce 3D or Bryce 4.
.mtl	Materials	File format used in association with Wavefront OBJ to represent materials assigned to a model.
.obp	Bryce Object Library	A library of objects for use in Bryce 3D or Bryce 4.