PLY Files
an ASCII Polygon Format

PLY is a data directory which contains examples of files in the PLY format, a simple format for the description of objects that are a collection of polygons.

PLY files are:

• ASCII or binary
• 3D
• No compression
• 1 image

Example:

        ply
        format ascii 1.0           { ascii/binary, format version number }
        comment made by anonymous  { comments are keyword specified }
        comment this file is a cube
        element vertex 8           { define "vertex" element, 8 in file }
        property float32 x         { vertex contains float "x" coordinate }
        property float32 y         { y coordinate is also a vertex property }
        property float32 z         { z coordinate, too }
        element face 6             { there are 6 "face" elements in the file }
        property list uint8 int32 vertex_index
                                   { "vertex_indices" is a list of ints }
        end_header                 { delimits the end of the header }
        0 0 0                      { start of vertex list }
        0 0 1
        0 1 1
        0 1 0
        1 0 0
        1 0 1
        1 1 1
        1 1 0
        4 0 1 2 3                  { start of face list }
        4 7 6 5 4
        4 0 4 5 1
        4 1 5 6 2
        4 2 6 7 3
        4 3 7 4 0
      

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Related Data and Programs:

MESHLAB, examples which illustrate the use of the meshlab program, an advanced mesh processing system for automatic or user-assisted editing, cleaning, filtering, converting and rendering of large unstructured 3D triangular meshes.

OBJ_TO_PLY, a C program which reads an OBJ file and writes similar information to a PLY file, by Greg Turk.

PLATO_PLY, a C program which writes a PLY graphics file for any Platonic solid, by Greg Turk.

PLY_DISPLAY, a MATLAB program which displays an image of a 3D graphics file in PLY format;

PLY_IO, a C library which reads or writes a 3D graphics file in PLY format, by Greg Turk;

PLY_IO, a MATLAB library which reads or writes a 3D graphics file in PLY format, by Greg Turk;

PLY_TO_IV, a C program which converts a 3D graphics file from PLY format to Inventor format, by Greg Turk.

PLY_TO_OBJ, a C program which reads a PLY 3D graphics file and writes an equivalent OBJ graphics file, by Greg Turk.

PLY_TO_TRI_SURFACE, a MATLAB program which reads a PLY file and extracts the surface mesh data as a TRI_SURFACE dataset.

TRI_SURFACE_TO_PLY, a MATLAB program which converts a TRI_SURFACE dataset to a dataset suitable for storage as a PLY file.

Reference:

1. Greg Turk,
   The PLY Polygon File Format.

Sample files:

• airplane.ply;
• airplane.png, a PNG image;
• ant.ply;
• ant.png, a PNG image;
• apple.ply;
• apple.png, a PNG image;
• balance.ply;
• balance.png, a PNG image;
• beethoven.ply;
• beethoven.png, a PNG image;
• big_atc.ply;
• big_atc.png, a PNG image;
• big_dodge.ply;
• big_dodge.png, a PNG image;
• big_porsche.ply;
• big_porsche.png, a PNG image;
• big_spider.ply;
• big_spider.png, a PNG image;
• canstick.ply;
• canstick.png, a PNG image;
• chopper.ply;
• chopper.png, a PNG image;
• cow.ply;
• cow.png, a PNG image;
• cow.binary.ply, stored as a binary PLY file;
• cube.ply;
• cube.png, a PNG image.
• dart.ply;
• dart.png, a PNG image.
• dodecahedron.ply;
• dodecahedron.png, a PNG image;
• dolphins.ply;
• dolphins.png, a PNG image;
• egret.ply;
• egret.png, a PNG image;
• ellell.ply, a simple structure that looks a bit like a building with an L-shaped base and profile, with 20 vertices and 11 polygonal faces, or 34 triangular faces;
• ellell.png, a PNG image;
• f16.ply;
• f16.png, a PNG image;
• footbones.ply;
• footbones.png, a PNG image;
• fracttree.ply;
• fracttree.png, a PNG image;
• galleon.ply;
• galleon.png, a PNG image;
• hammerhead.ply;
• hammerhead.png, a PNG image;
• head1.ply, a head as rendered by a 3D scanner;
• head1.png, a PNG image;
• head2.ply, a head as rendered by a 3D scanner;
• head2.png, a PNG image;
• helix.ply;
• helix.png, a PNG image;
• hind.ply;
• hind.png, a PNG image;
• icosahedron.ply;
• icosahedron.png, a PNG image;
• kerolamp.ply;
• kerolamp.png, a PNG image;
• ketchup.ply, a ketchup bottle;
• ketchup.png, a PNG image;
• mug.ply;
• mug.png, a PNG image;
• octahedron.ply;
• octahedron.png, a PNG image;
• part.ply;
• part.png, a PNG image;
• pickup_big.ply;
• pickup_big.png, a PNG image;
• pump.ply;
• pump.png, a PNG image;
• pyramid.ply;
• pyramid.png, a PNG image;
• sandal.ply;
• sandal.png, a PNG image;
• saratoga.ply;
• saratoga.png, a PNG image;
• scissors.ply;
• scissors.png, a PNG image;
• shark.ply;
• shark.png, a PNG image.
• skull.ply, a skull as rendered by a 3D scanner;
• skull.png, a PNG image;
• sphere.ply;
• sphere.png, a PNG image;
• steeringweel.ply;
• steeringweel.png, a PNG image;
• stratocaster.ply;
• stratocaster.png, a PNG image;
• street_lamp.ply;
• street_lamp.png, a PNG image;
• symphysis.ply, a scan of the surface of a pubic symphysis bone.
• symphysis.png, a PNG image;
• teapot.ply;
• teapot.png, a PNG image;
• tennis_shoe.ply;
• tennis_shoe.png, a PNG image;
• tetrahedron.ply;
• tetrahedron.png, a PNG image;
• tommygun.ply;
• tommygun.png, a PNG image;
• trashcan.ply;
• trashcan.png, a PNG image;
• turbine.ply;
• turbine.png, a PNG image;
• urn2.ply;
• urn2.png, a PNG image;
• walkman.ply;
• walkman.png, a PNG image;
• weathervane.ply;
• weathervane.png, a PNG image;

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