Format Conversion

Format conversion interchanges 7 3D file formats — FBX, OBJ, STL, DAE (Collada), PLY, glTF and GLB. The most common scenario is converting FBX/OBJ/STL exported from modeling software into the Web3D standard format GLB. Conversion changes the file format only, without geometry compression; to shrink the file, run Compression Optimization afterwards.

Conversion vs Compression

	Format conversion	Model compression
What it does	Changes the format (e.g. FBX → GLB)	Reduces geometry & texture size
File size	Mostly unchanged	Reduced by 70–90%
Purpose	Make the model loadable on the web	Make the model load faster
Order	First	Second

Which Target Format?

• Web / mini-app viewing → GLB: single file, textures embedded; loads directly in Three.js / Babylon.js / model-viewer
• Further editing in DCC software → glTF: textures and .bin stay separate for easy material edits
• 3D printing round-trip → STL: geometry only, natively supported by slicers
• Universal interchange → OBJ: understood by virtually every 3D package, but static geometry only

Supported Formats

Format	Import	Export	Notes
GLB	✅	✅	The go-to Web3D format, single file
glTF	✅	✅	Textures kept separate, easy to edit
OBJ	✅	✅	Widest compatibility
FBX	✅	—	Common in modeling software
STL	✅	✅	3D printing standard
DAE	✅	—	Collada format
PLY	✅	✅	Point clouds, supports vertex colors

Format Cheat Sheet

glTF / GLB is the open 3D asset standard by the Khronos Group and the de facto delivery format for Web3D:

Format	What it is
GLB	The binary single-file flavor of glTF — geometry, textures and animation embedded; the standard web delivery format
glTF	The JSON-based 3D asset standard defined by Khronos, with textures/buffers as separate files
OBJ	A veteran universal text format understood nearly everywhere; static geometry only
FBX	Autodesk's ecosystem format — the bridge between Blender/C4D/Maya/3ds Max
STL	Triangle-mesh format, the de facto 3D printing standard; no colors or materials
DAE	Collada (XML), an early open interchange format
PLY	Point-cloud/mesh format common in scan data; supports vertex colors

How to Convert

1. Open the "Format Conversion" page in Zipoly's left navigation
2. Click "Choose File" or drag your file in (FBX, OBJ, STL, DAE, PLY, glTF and GLB all work)
3. Pick the target format — for the web, choose GLB (single file, textures embedded)
4. Click "Start Conversion" and wait for it to finish
5. Grab the converted file from the output folder; continue to Compression Optimization if you need it smaller

When converting glTF to GLB, external textures and the .bin file are automatically packed into the GLB, producing a fully self-contained single file.

Capacity & Limits

Item	Free	Licensed
Per-file size for conversion	≤ 20 MB	≤ 500 MB
Output formats	all 7	all 7

Conversion itself has no feature gating — the free and licensed tiers differ only in the per-file size cap. See Licensing & Pricing.

FAQ

Materials are wrong after FBX conversion?

Complex FBX material graphs may be lost during conversion. We recommend opening the model in Blender and exporting GLB directly.

Do I still need the external textures after glTF → GLB?

No. The GLB embeds all textures and is a fully self-contained single file.

Is there an order requirement between conversion and compression?

Convert first (FBX → GLB), then compress (GLB → compressed GLB) — the order cannot be reversed.

Can STL be converted to GLB for web viewing?

Yes. After converting STL to GLB it loads in Three.js, Babylon.js, model-viewer and other web runtimes. STL contains geometry only — apply materials in modeling software first if you need colors.

Does conversion shrink the model?

No. Conversion changes the format only, without geometry compression; glTF → GLB may change size slightly due to texture embedding. To reduce size, run Model Compression afterwards — that typically cuts another 70–90%.