# 3D Model Converter

> A 3D model converter is a tool that changes a model from one file format to another, such as GLB to STL for printing. Kenerate's free converter runs in your browser, previews the model in 3D and can size it in millimetres and turn it Z-up for slicers. Files are never uploaded.

URL: https://kenerateai.com/3d-model-converter
Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com)
Last updated: 2026-10-01

## Key facts
- Price: Free, no account
- Input: STL, OBJ, FBX, GLB (glTF 2.0), 3MF, PLY — up to 200 MB
- Output: STL, OBJ, GLB, 3MF, PLY, USDZ
- Print options: Fit longest side to 25–200 mm, Z-up for slicers
- Not converted: Animation and rigs (exports are static meshes)
- Privacy: Converted locally — no upload
- For printing: STL and 3MF out, sized in millimetres and turned Z-up so the model stands on the build plate.
- For the web and AR: GLB for browsers and engines, USDZ for AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad.
- For 3D apps: OBJ for Blender, Maya, ZBrush and CAD; PLY for scan tools like MeshLab.
- Preview first: See the model, its triangle count and size before you convert.
- Materials when possible: GLB and USDZ keep PBR textures; STL, 3MF, OBJ and PLY carry geometry.
- No upload: Conversion runs in your browser, so private and unreleased models stay private.
- Read: The right loader is picked from the file extension and parses meshes, materials and textures.
- Normalise: Node transforms are applied so every part keeps its place.
- Adapt: For print formats, optionally fit to millimetres and turn Z-up.
- Write: The chosen exporter writes the new file, which downloads straight away.
- STL (Stereolithography): Triangle mesh (binary or ASCII); by 3D Systems, 1987. Holds: Triangle surfaces, Facet normals. Lacks: Colour and textures, Units, Materials. Best for: 3D printing — every slicer opens it. Opens in: Cura, PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, Blender.
- 3MF (3D Manufacturing Format): ZIP package with XML; by 3MF Consortium, 2015. Holds: Meshes with units (millimetres), Colours and materials, Several objects and build plates. Lacks: Animation. Best for: Modern 3D printing and multi-colour prints. Opens in: Bambu Studio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, Cura, Windows 3D Builder.
- OBJ (Wavefront OBJ): Plain-text mesh; by Wavefront Technologies, 1980s. Holds: Vertices, faces, UVs and normals, Materials via a separate .mtl file. Lacks: Animation and rigs, Embedded textures. Best for: Moving static meshes between 3D apps. Opens in: Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, most slicers.
- GLB (glTF 2.0 Binary): Single-file scene with PBR materials; by Khronos Group, 2017 (glTF 2.0). Holds: Meshes and PBR materials, Textures in the same file, Animation and skins. Lacks: Units beyond metres, CAD precision. Best for: Web, AR and real-time apps — the “JPEG of 3D”. Opens in: Browsers (three.js, model-viewer), Blender, Unity, Unreal, Godot.
- USDZ (Universal Scene Description (zipped)): Zipped USD package; by Pixar / Apple, 2018 (USDZ). Holds: Meshes and PBR materials, Textures in the package. Lacks: Broad support outside Apple and DCC tools. Best for: AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad. Opens in: iOS / iPadOS / macOS Quick Look, Reality Composer, Blender.
- PLY (Polygon File Format): Mesh or point cloud; by Stanford University, 1994. Holds: Vertices with colours, Faces or points only. Lacks: Textures and materials (usually). Best for: 3D scans and point clouds. Opens in: MeshLab, CloudCompare, Blender.

## Steps
1. Open a file — Drop an STL, OBJ, FBX, GLB, 3MF or PLY onto the box above.
2. Check the preview — Orbit it and read its stats.
3. Choose a format — Pick STL, OBJ, GLB, 3MF, PLY or USDZ. For print formats, set size and Z-up.
4. Download — Click Download — the converted file saves to your device.

## In depth

### Pick the target by where the model goes
Printer: STL [1] or 3MF [5]. Web, games and AI pipelines: GLB [4]. iPhone AR: USDZ [6][9]. Other 3D apps: OBJ [2]. Scans and point clouds: PLY [7].

### What changes in a conversion
Geometry converts cleanly between all of these. What can be lost is everything around it: textures (not in STL), units (not in STL or OBJ), animation (not in STL, OBJ or 3MF). Knowing what the target can hold avoids surprises.

### Size and orientation
glTF is Y-up in metres [8]; slicers and CAD are usually Z-up in millimetres. The print options fix both when you export STL, 3MF or OBJ.

References:
[1] Wikipedia — STL (file format): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)
[2] Wikipedia — Wavefront .obj file: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavefront_.obj_file
[3] Wikipedia — FBX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBX
[4] Khronos Group — glTF: https://www.khronos.org/gltf/
[5] 3MF Consortium — 3MF specification: https://3mf.io/specification/
[6] Wikipedia — Universal Scene Description (USD / USDZ): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Scene_Description
[7] Wikipedia — PLY (file format): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLY_(file_format)
[8] Khronos Group — glTF 2.0 specification: https://registry.khronos.org/glTF/specs/2.0/glTF-2.0.html
[9] Apple — AR Quick Look: https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/quick-look/
[10] three.js — documentation: https://threejs.org/docs/
[11] Prusa Knowledge Base — Modeling with 3D printing in mind: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/modeling-with-3d-printing-in-mind_164135
[12] Prusa Blog — lithophanes and filament transparency: https://blog.prusa3d.com/lets-play-with-filament-transparency-how-to-make-amazing-lifelike-color-photos-with-just-a-simple-color-change_104338/
[13] Polymers (2024) 16(20):2862 — FFF parameters and translucency of PLA: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16202862
[14] Wikipedia — Lithophane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithophane
[15] W3C — CSS Values and Units Level 3 (absolute lengths): https://www.w3.org/TR/css-values-3/
[16] Adobe Substance 3D — OpenGL vs DirectX normal maps: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/substance-3d/bakers/common-questions/what-is-the-difference-between-the-opengl-and-directx-normal-format
[17] Blender Manual — Normal Map node: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/shader_nodes/displacement/normal_map.html
[18] Wikipedia — Normal mapping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping
[19] SIL Open Font License: https://openfontlicense.org/

## FAQ
Q: Which conversions are supported?
A: Any of STL, OBJ, FBX, GLB, 3MF and PLY into STL, OBJ, GLB, 3MF, PLY or USDZ — for example GLB to STL, 3MF to STL, FBX to OBJ or GLB to USDZ.

Q: Can I convert to FBX?
A: Not yet. FBX is a closed format; we export open formats. Use GLB, which Unity, Unreal and Blender import.

Q: Is it free?
A: Yes. It runs in your browser with no account, watermark or limit.

Q: Are files uploaded?
A: No. They're converted on your device and never sent to a server.

Q: Will textures carry over?
A: Into GLB and USDZ, yes. STL, 3MF, OBJ and PLY exports carry geometry; OBJ keeps UVs.

Q: Is animation converted?
A: No — exports are static meshes in the model's rest pose.

Q: What's the largest file I can convert?
A: 200 MB. Large files convert faster on a desktop than a phone.

Q: Can AI generate 3D models?
A: Yes, but that's a different job from converting. AI 3D generators build a new model from a text prompt or a photo; the Kenerate 3D Studio runs nine engines for that on any paid plan or credit pack. The model arrives as GLB (plus other formats on some engines), and this free converter turns it into STL, 3MF, OBJ or USDZ.

## Related pages
- AI 3D Model Generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-3d-model-generator
- Image to 3D: https://kenerateai.com/image-to-3d-converter
- AI STL Generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-3d-printing-model-generator
- Text to 3D: https://kenerateai.com/text-to-3d-generator

## Sources
- Wikipedia — STL (file format): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)
- Wikipedia — Wavefront .obj file: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavefront_.obj_file
- Wikipedia — FBX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBX
- Khronos Group — glTF: https://www.khronos.org/gltf/
- 3MF Consortium — 3MF specification: https://3mf.io/specification/
- Wikipedia — Universal Scene Description (USD / USDZ): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Scene_Description
- Wikipedia — PLY (file format): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLY_(file_format)
- Khronos Group — glTF 2.0 specification: https://registry.khronos.org/glTF/specs/2.0/glTF-2.0.html
- Apple — AR Quick Look: https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/quick-look/
- three.js — documentation: https://threejs.org/docs/
- Prusa Knowledge Base — Modeling with 3D printing in mind: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/modeling-with-3d-printing-in-mind_164135
- Prusa Blog — lithophanes and filament transparency: https://blog.prusa3d.com/lets-play-with-filament-transparency-how-to-make-amazing-lifelike-color-photos-with-just-a-simple-color-change_104338/
- Polymers (2024) 16(20):2862 — FFF parameters and translucency of PLA: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16202862
- Wikipedia — Lithophane: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithophane
- W3C — CSS Values and Units Level 3 (absolute lengths): https://www.w3.org/TR/css-values-3/
- Adobe Substance 3D — OpenGL vs DirectX normal maps: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/substance-3d/bakers/common-questions/what-is-the-difference-between-the-opengl-and-directx-normal-format
- Blender Manual — Normal Map node: https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/shader_nodes/displacement/normal_map.html
- Wikipedia — Normal mapping: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping
- SIL Open Font License: https://openfontlicense.org/