Convert 3mf Files

The 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) is a pretty new file but it’s already making a big name for itself in the additive manufacturing industry. This XML-based format allows interoperability between 3D modeling applications and other platforms, software, and printers. Created by 3MF Consortium, Microsoft’s baby, it was specially designed to outrank the STL format as the universal file format. It uses the same compression format as the ZIP archive. It contains more than one object in a scene. It can store color and texture details, thumbnail information, scene units, and even granular slicer configurations. As a result, your model can be easily shared and saved without having to pre-slice it every time you want to import it. 3MF files are human-readable as they contain common file structures like XML, ZIP, and OPC. Some core properties of the file include simplicity, completeness, extensibility, unambiguity, and accessibility. It’s simple as everything is clear and to the point making it easy to validate and develop the file. The unambiguity is thanks to the file consistency and clear language in both digital and physical forms. And being an open-source format, it is free of licensing, patents and royalties. 3MF files have brought all the different needs of both software and hardware manufacturers into one single file. This way, it saves time by providing higher interoperability while retaining the complete model information.