.PLY File

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.

The 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.

The PLY format format is most often used today to convey data from 3D RGB color scanners. For example used by Petrosys or Cyberware.

Files with ply file extension can be found as various polygon  3D data files generated by many 3D modeling or CAD programs.

How to open:

Use Blender, AutoCAD, or similar alternatives to open and work with the *.ply files.

How to convert:

Generally speaking, polygon files can be exported to several CAD formats.