I don't guarantee that any information listed here is accurate.
| Collada | ASE | X3D | U3D | DWF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Links | → Website → Wikipedia → Specification (v1.4.1, PDF) → Collada information page (Wiki) | → Inofficial specification | → Website → Wikipedia → Specifications | → Wikipedia → Specification | → Website → Wikipedia → Specification |
| Basics | → Format: XML → Extension: .dae (Digital Asset Exchange) → Copyright: Khronos Group / Sony → Contributors: Sony, Alias, Criterion, Autodesk, Avid → Usage: Open | → Format: ASCII (no standard) → Extension: .ase (ASCII Scene Exporter) → Copyright: Autodesk → Contributors: Autodesk → Usage: Proprietary, reverse-engineered | → Format: XML or Open Inventor style → Extension: → Copyright: Web3D Consortium → Contributors: Various → Usage: Open, ISO-Standard (formerly VRML) | → Format: Binary → Extension: .u3d (Universal 3D) → Copyright: Ecma → Contributors: Intel, Boeing, HP, Adobe, Bentley → Usage: Open, Ecma standard | → Format: Binary (XML for v6.0) → Extension: .dwf (Design Web Format) → Copyright: Autodesk → Contributors: Autodesk → Usage: Open |
| Support | → Papervision → Maya (via plugin) → 3DS Max (via plugin) → Lightwave → SoftImage → Houdini → MeshLab → SketchUp → Blender → Photoshop → Google Earth → Unreal game engine | → 3D Studio Max → Papervision → Maya (via plugin) → Doom 3 engine → Unreal Editor | → Blender (via plugin) → 3DS Max (via plugin) | → Acrobat/Reader (PDF) → Photoshop → Poser → MeshLab | → AutoCAD and other Autodesk products |
| Source Code | → FCollada, C++, open source, supposedly good → COLLADA DOM, C++, open source, not very flexible, file must be known at compile time → jMonkeyEngine, Java, open source, actually a game engine/scenegraph which also imports Collada files → Collada on JOGL, Java, open source, import, experimental → Whoola, Java, open source, import (/export?) into Xith3D, doesn't seem to be supported much more | → ASE lexx/yacc parser, C++, free, no guarantees | → CyberX3D for C++ and Java, open source, import/export, drawing functions → X3D Tool Kit, C++, GPL, import, drawing functions → Xj3D, Java, GPL, import, official, very current (used to test specification) | → U3D Sample Software, C++, open source, import, export, extend, render, interact, official tool | → Autodesk DWF Toolkit, C++ (Win/Linux:Gentoo-RedHat-GNU/Source), complete, open source, straight from the source → Java DWF Class Library, Java, viewer, 2D only?, not free |
| Notes | → Very extensive → Input files can become very complex → Widespread → Java support only in beginning stages | → Tied to the internal 3DS representation → Basic but covers most required attributes | → Very extensive → Files can be complex → ISO-standard but little prominent support → Good library support → Focus on 3D browsers | → Not widespread except PDF support → Binary, complicated structure → No official Java support yet → Future of format uncertain | → Very Autodesk focused → Good C++ support but Java only for money → Not just made for 3D |
| DXF | 3DS | OBJ | STL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Links | → Website → Wikipedia → Specification | → Specifications: 1, 2, 3 | → Wikipedia → Specification | → Wikipedia → Specification |
| Basics | → Format: ASCII and binary → Extension: .dxf (Drawing Exchange Format) → Copyright: Autodesk → Contributors: Autodesk → Usage: Open | → Format: Binary → Extension: .3ds (3D Studio) → Copyright: Autodesk → Contributors: Autodesk → Usage: Proprietary, reverse-engineered | → Format: ASCII → Extension: .obj → Copyright: Wavefront → Contributors: Wavefront → Usage: Open | → Format: ASCII or binary → Extension: .stl (Standard Tessellation Language/Stereolitography) → Copyright: 3D Systems → Contributors: 3D Systems → Usage: Open |
| Support | → Illustrator → Blender (via script) → CorelDraw → AutoCAD | → 3D Studio (MAX) → Various tools/repositories | → Poser → Maya → Avid → SoftImage → MeshLab → 3DS Max → Lightwave → Art of Illusion → Blender | → All 3D printers and their accompanying software |
| Source Code | → Open Design Alliance, C++, not free, all operations → DXF Viewer and Editor, Java, import, export, view, manipulate → dxflib, C++, open source, import, limited → Dime, C++, open source, import, export | → C3ds, C++, LGPL, import, reads only basic information → 3DS loader/converter, C++, open source, import, reads only basic information → 3DS loader and viewer, C++, open source, import, objects and material → Java3D, Java, open source, official support for 3DS files, import → mri.v3ds, Java, open source, import, fairly extensive | → libobj, C++, open source, simple parser (import) → Nate Robin OBJ Reader/Manipulator, C++, open source, basic, import, manipulate → Java3D, Java, free, official support for OBJ files, import | → ADMesh, C++, GPL, import, export, fix mesh → STLA_IO, C++, open, import, export, ASCII format only → STL viewer, C++, no license, import, view, ASCII format only → Java3D, Java, free, official support for STL files, import |
| Notes | → Not too widespread → 3D faces seem to be inefficient, functions missing (normals?) | → Proprietary, not fully explored → Many 3D repositories use this format | → Very widespread → Very basic but sufficient, material information in external .mtl file → No output libraries but simple enough to implement by oneself | → Very very simple → Colour information per face → One normal per face → Standard for 3D printers |