The PLY File Format

The PLY File Format

Download PLY Tools (41KB)
     The PLY file format is a simple object description that was designed as a convenient format for researchers who work with polygonal models. Early versions of this file format were used at Stanford University and at UNC Chapel Hill.

     A PLY file consists of a header followed by a list of vertices and then a list of polygons. The header specifies how many vertices and polygons are in the file, and also states what properties are associated with each vertex, such as (x,y,z) coordinates, normals and color. The polygon faces are simply lists of indices into the vertex list, and each face begins with a count of the number of elements in each list.

     Source code for programs that read and write PLY files can be found in the PLY code archive. This archive includes programs to transform polygonal objects, calculate surface normals, flip faces and determine the spatial bounds of an object. We plan to make additional tools available in the near future.