3D scans and photogrammetry often come out as PLY. GLB lets you show the scan on a web page or in AR. This converter runs entirely in your browser: the file is processed on your own device and never uploaded.
Why convert PLY to GLB?
3D scans and photogrammetry often come out as PLY. GLB lets you show the scan on a web page or in AR.
How it works
Drop your .ply file above and download the .glb. The conversion engine (Assimp, compiled to WebAssembly) runs inside the page, so it works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS without installing anything.
PLY vs GLB
PLY (Stanford Polygon): PLY, created at Stanford for 3D scanning research, stores meshes or point clouds and is good at keeping per-vertex colour. Used by: 3D scanners, photogrammetry software (Meshroom, RealityCapture), MeshLab and CloudCompare.
GLB (binary glTF): GLB is glTF packed into one binary file: scene description, geometry and textures together. That single self-contained file is why the web and AR use it. Used by: <model-viewer>, three.js, Android Scene Viewer, Shopify 3D product models, Blender and game engines.
Quality notes
Mesh geometry converts directly. PLY’s per-vertex colours — how most scans store their appearance — are written as glTF vertex colours. A point cloud with no faces has no surface to display.
Common use cases
Sharing a photogrammetry scan online; showing a scanned artefact in a museum web page; AR previews of scanned objects.
Frequently asked questions
Will my scan colours be kept?＋
Per-vertex colours are carried into the GLB.
Can I convert a point cloud?＋
A PLY with only points and no faces has no surface; mesh it first in MeshLab or CloudCompare.
Is the scan uploaded?＋
No. Everything runs in your browser.
Why is the GLB large?＋
Scans have millions of triangles. Decimate the mesh in MeshLab first for faster web loading.