ToolRecipe
Stays on this device No watermark Works offline

What do you need to get done?

Drop a file here

or .

/

Open an app

Follow a recipe

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Use one tool

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PLY viewer

Open a PLY file in your browser, whether it is a mesh or a point cloud from a 3D scanner. A PLY with faces shows as a solid model. One with only points shows as dots, in the scanned colours when the file has them. Nothing is uploaded.

How to view a PLY file online

  1. 1Drop the PLY file in, or click to choose it
  2. 2Drag to turn the model, scroll to zoom
  3. 3Read the facts: triangles, materials, size
  4. The model on screen, with its facts.

What happens to your files

  • Nothing is uploaded.Your PLY model is read by your browser, on your own device.
  • Meshes and point clouds.Faces give a solid model. A file with only vertices is drawn as points.
  • Scan colours are kept.If the PLY stores a colour per point or vertex, the viewer shows it.

What you can do

  • Turn, zoom and move around a scan or a mesh, and press Fit to bring it back to the middle.
  • See a point cloud as points, coloured by the scan when the file has colour values.
  • Read the number of points, or triangles and vertices for a mesh, and the size of the model.
  • Switch on Wireframe or Grid for a mesh to check the triangles and the scale.
  • Pick the unit the file is in (mm, cm, m, in or ft) so the size line is right.

Good to know

  • PLY stores no unit. The viewer starts in metres, so change the unit if a scan of a small part looks huge.
  • PLY has no animations and usually no textures, so those counts are zero.
  • A point cloud has no surface. It shows as dots, not as a solid, and it does not become a mesh.

Questions

Can I open a point cloud from a 3D scan?

Yes. A PLY that holds only points is drawn as a point cloud, with colours if the scanner saved them.

Is my PLY uploaded?

No. Your browser reads the file on your own device. Scans can be private, and nothing leaves your computer.

Why do I see dots and no surface?

The file has points but no faces. A viewer cannot invent a surface, so it shows the points.

Can I turn the PLY into OBJ or STL?

Yes. The PLY to OBJ and PLY to STL converters are in the related tools.

Related tools

How it works

Small tools that run in your browser.

Four steps

  1. Start with a file or a task

    Drop a file, search, or pick a task.

  2. The tool opens in a window

    Open as many as you like, side by side as tabs.

  3. Results collect on the right

    Drag a result into the next tool.

  4. Save when you're done

    Saved files go to your downloads.

Who uses what

Tool sets for common jobs.

Put a tool on your home screen

The icon opens that tool, like an app.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Open the tool in Safari.
  2. Tap Share (the square with the arrow).
  3. Choose “Add to Home Screen”, then Add.

Android

  1. Open the tool in Chrome.
  2. Tap the menu (⋮) at the top right.
  3. Choose “Add to Home screen” or “Install app”.

Computer

  1. Open the tool in Chrome or Edge.
  2. Click the install icon in the address bar.
  3. Choose Install.

Skills

Claude skills we use ourselves, one job each.