Supported Import File Formats

Meshbex CAD Explorer supports loading 3D models in a variety of formats. This page explains the purpose of each format, its typical use cases, and its advantages and disadvantages.

GLB – Meshbex primary file format

GLB (GL Binary) is the binary variant of the open standard glTF 2.0 (Graphics Language Transmission Format), developed by the Khronos Group. It is the preferred and primary format of Meshbex CAD Explorer.

Why is GLB the primary format?

• Complete scene in a single file – GLB bundles geometry, materials, textures, object hierarchy, animations, and all user metadata (dimensions, annotations, assembly workflow, documents, attachments) into one self-contained file.

• Efficiency – Binary encoding ensures a compact file size and very fast loading with no text decoding overhead.

• Full material and texture support – PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials are a first-class part of the standard; the result looks identical in every renderer.

• Open standard – No licensing fees; supported across the entire industry (Three.js, Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, web browsers, AR/VR).

• Extensibility – The format supports custom extensions (extras / extensions), which CAD Explorer uses to embed assembly steps, section settings, 3D dimensions, and other data directly in the file.

• Draco compression – Optional geometry compression via Google Draco can further reduce file size by tens of percent.

GLTF

GLTF is the text (JSON) variant of the same standard. Geometry and textures are stored in separate files (.bin, .png…), so the full project is a folder of multiple files. This is convenient for manual editing but impractical for sharing as a single file. CAD Explorer supports importing a full GLTF folder.

GLTF vs. GLB

STL – Standard Triangle Language

One of the oldest and most widely used formats for 3D printing and CAD export. It describes a solid surface as a set of triangles.

Advantages

• Universal support – readable by virtually every piece of 3D software.

• Simple structure – easy to generate and parse.

• Available in both binary and ASCII variants.

Disadvantages

• No materials or textures – pure geometry only.

• No hierarchy – the entire model is a single triangle mesh with no names or groups.

• Large file sizes at high mesh density.

• No native colour support (unofficial extensions exist).

Typical use: preparing models for FDM/SLA 3D printing, exchanging bare geometry between CAD systems.

OBJ – Wavefront Object

A text-based format developed by Wavefront Technologies in the 1980s. Still widely used thanks to its simple structure. Geometry is stored in a .obj file, with materials in an accompanying .mtl file.

Advantages

• Supports materials and UV coordinates for textures.

• Human-readable in any text editor.

• Broad support across 3D applications.

Disadvantages

• Import requires the full folder (OBJ + MTL + textures).

• Text format – slow loading for large models.

• Limited PBR material support.

• No animation or skeletal data.

Typical use: exchanging models between different 3D applications, legacy game assets, visualisation.

FBX – Filmbox

A proprietary format by Autodesk, originally developed for exchanging animations and 3D scenes between animation applications (Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder).

Advantages

• Supports skeletal animations, skinning, and morph targets.

• Preserves scene hierarchy, cameras, and lights.

• Full material and texture support.

• Widely used in the games industry (Unity, Unreal Engine).

Disadvantages

• Proprietary format – Autodesk does not maintain a public specification.

• Import in CAD Explorer uses an open-source library with limited compatibility.

• The binary file format is not easily readable.

• Gradually being replaced by the open glTF standard.

Typical use: game assets, 3D animation, data exchange between Autodesk products.

3MF – 3D Manufacturing Format

A modern open format designed by the 3MF Consortium (Microsoft, Autodesk, HP, Ultimaker, and others) specifically for next-generation 3D printing.

Advantages

• A single file (ZIP archive) contains geometry, materials, colours, and print parameters.

• Accurate mesh description without the typical errors found in STL.

• Supports multi-material printing and full-colour models.

• Open standard with thorough documentation.

Disadvantages

• Less widespread than STL in legacy slicers.

• Limited support for animations or complex hierarchies.

Typical use: professional 3D printing (FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF), data transfer to modern slicer applications (PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio).

STEP / STP – Standard for the Exchange of Product Data

The international standard ISO 10303 for data exchange between CAD systems. It stores exact B-Rep (Boundary Representation) geometry – not just a triangular mesh approximation.

Advantages

• Precise geometry – NURBS curves and surfaces, not a triangular approximation.

• Preserves assembly hierarchy, component names, and material properties.

• Industry standard – supported by all professional CAD systems (CATIA, SolidWorks, NX, Fusion 360, FreeCAD…).

Disadvantages

• Conversion to a triangle mesh (tessellation) for display in CAD Explorer loses B-Rep precision.

• Large, complex assemblies can be slow to import.

• No texture or animation support.

Typical use: CAD data exchange between engineering systems, archiving design documentation, supply-chain data in mechanical engineering.

IGES / IGS – Initial Graphics Exchange Specification

One of the earliest CAD data exchange standards, developed in the USA in 1980 (ANSI Y14.26M). Being gradually superseded by STEP, but still widely used in aerospace and automotive industries.

Advantages

• Extremely broad compatibility – supported by virtually every CAD system in the world.

• Transfers exact B-Rep and NURBS geometry.

• Vendor-independent.

Disadvantages

• Outdated standard – the specification has not been actively developed since 1996.

• Text format – large files, slow import for large assemblies.

• Different implementations are often incompatible – a file that works in one CAD system may fail in another.

• No support for textures, animations, or modern design data (PMI).

Typical use: exchanging precise geometry (surfaces, curves) between legacy CAD systems, archival documentation in aerospace and automotive industries.

Quick format comparison

For sharing finished 3D models including assembly workflow, annotations, and documentation, always prefer the GLB format.

Supported Export File Formats

CAD Explorer can export the current scene or a selected object in the following formats. All export actions are available in the File panel.

GLB – standard export

Exports the scene as a standard GLB 2.0 file. All geometry, materials, PBR textures, object hierarchy, assembly workflow, 3D dimensions, annotations, documents, and attachments are embedded in a single binary file.

Two scope variants

• Export all to GLB – exports every loaded model.

• Export selected to GLB – exports only the currently selected object (or multi-selection group). The world-space transform is baked in so the object appears in the correct position on re-import.

When to use

Use this format for all regular saves and sharing. The exported GLB can be re-imported without any data loss.

GLB with Draco compression

Same as the standard GLB export but applies Google Draco geometry compression before writing the file. A progress overlay is displayed while the compression runs.

Advantages

• Significantly smaller file size (often 60–90% reduction) – ideal for web sharing or storage-constrained environments.

• All metadata is preserved identically to the standard GLB export.

Disadvantages

• Slower export due to the compression step.

• Requires a Draco-capable loader on the receiving end (CAD Explorer includes one; most modern 3D tools do too).

Two scope variants

• Export all to GLB (Compression)

• Export selected to GLB (Compression)

STL – export

Exports the mesh geometry as an STL file. On export you are prompted for a file name and for the format variant.

Format variants

• Binary STL (default, option b) – compact binary encoding, smaller file, faster to write.

• ASCII STL (option a) – human-readable text, larger file, useful for debugging or legacy tools that do not support binary STL.

Limitations

• Only geometry is exported. Materials, textures, hierarchy, annotations, and assembly data are not included.

• The entire scene (or selected object) is flattened into a single triangle mesh.

Two scope variants

• Export all to STL

• Export selected to STL

HTML – self-contained viewer

Exports a fully self-contained HTML file that embeds the 3D model together with a lightweight Three.js viewer. The recipient can open the file directly in any modern web browser with no installation required.

Advantages

• Zero dependency for the viewer – works offline.

• The model, assembly workflow, and all annotations are preserved.

• Easy to share via e-mail or a file host.

Disadvantages

• File size is larger than GLB because the viewer JavaScript is bundled inside.

• The file is read-only – it cannot be re-imported into CAD Explorer for editing.

Four variants

The obfuscated variants minify and obfuscate the embedded viewer source code, making it harder to extract the 3D data from the HTML file – useful when distributing models that should not be easily re-used.

Quick export comparison