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PLY Vertex Compression

Simplify PLY geometry and export a more compact binary PLY.

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About This Tool

PLY is common for 3D scans and research meshes. This tool performs mesh decimation and writes the result as binary PLY. glTF-only encodings such as Meshopt and Draco are not applied. Your PLY is simplified locally in your browser.

About Configuration Options

Vertex / Geometry

Mesh Simplification

50%0% – 100% · step 5%

Reduces the number of faces and vertices using mesh simplification. Default medium strength; increasing strength shrinks file size further but may lose surface detail. Only affects geometric density, not the container format.

Format Information

Input / Output

Extension:
ply
Full Name:
Polygon File Format (PLY)
Type:
Point Cloud / Mesh
Format:
PLY
Tools:
MeshLab、CloudCompare、Open3D
Open With:
3D Model Viewer、PLY Viewer
Description:
PLY (Polygon File Format) was designed by the Stanford University Graphics Laboratory and is widely used for 3D scanner output and point cloud/mesh processing. It supports attributes such as vertex coordinates, colors, normals, and texture coordinates, and provides both ASCII and binary encoding. PLY is known for its simplicity and flexibility, but this also defines its functional boundaries: it lacks standard animation and material systems, making it more suitable for static geometry and scanned data. Binary PLY files are smaller and load faster, and are preferred when processing scanned data.

Notes:

  • No texture or material support
  • Large file sizes for complex meshes

Supported Features:

  • Vertex color and normal support
  • Binary and ASCII encoding
  • Compatible with MeshLab, CloudCompare, Open3D
  • Widely used in academic research and 3D scanning

Frequently Asked Questions

View all FAQs
Q

Why is the output PLY instead of GLB?

A

PLY vertex compression keeps the source format: the tool simplifies the mesh and writes compact binary PLY rather than converting to GLB. A GLB with Draco or Meshopt is only produced by the dedicated GLB/GLTF vertex compression tools.

Q

Why is Meshopt/Draco not available?

A

Meshopt and Draco are extension codecs for the glTF container, so they cannot be applied to a PLY file. PLY compression is achieved through mesh simplification plus binary encoding, which is the effective approach for scan and research meshes.

Q

Can a point cloud PLY file be processed?

A

This tool is designed for mesh models with polygonal surfaces. A pure point cloud has no faces to simplify, so it is better handled by a dedicated point cloud processing tool. PLY files that contain a triangulated surface work normally.

Q

Will vertex colors and normals be preserved?

A

Yes. Simplification only reduces the face count. Vertex colors, normals, and other per-vertex attributes are carried over unchanged, so the compressed PLY remains suitable for visualization and analysis.

Q

What is the difference between ASCII and binary PLY?

A

PLY has both ASCII and binary variants. The tool reads ASCII and binary input and always writes binary PLY, which is much smaller and faster to load while containing the same vertex data, colors, and normals.

Q

Is binary PLY compatible with other software?

A

Yes. Binary PLY is a standard format supported by Blender, MeshLab, CloudCompare, and most scan and post-processing pipelines. Only the face count changes, so the compressed file opens anywhere the original PLY did.