3MF: 3D Manufacturing Format

[kkremitzki]

I was just reading the OpenSCAD News and saw mention of import/export support for a new file format, 3MF:

3MF Import/Export
The 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) as defined by the 3MF Consortium is one of the contenders to take over from STL. With support for extended features like colors, materials, properties, multiple volumes and the possibility to extend with both public and private features, it's much more versatile than the (for 3d printing) commonly used STL format. As additional reason for this format being a very attractive option is that its Specification and reference implementation are freely available and useable in Open Source projects.

Here's the specification and here's the reference implementation C++ library lib3mf on Github. I'm about to file an intent-to-package (ITP) bug for lib3mf on Debian.

This would be an interesting file format to add support for.

[yorik]

Anyone here using it? Or knowing which applications support it well?

[NormandC]

https://3mf.io/adoption/

All major CAD vendors (Autodesk, CATIA, SolidWorks, Siemens PLM, PTC) support the format. Cura supports the format. Even Microsoft supports it. I guess sooner or later FreeCAD will have to support it, even if nobody's asked for it yet.

Makes you wonder why did they have to create yet another file format, when AMF already exists and is an ISO/ASTM standard. And supported by FreeCAD for export, but not import.

[DeepSOIC]

Anyone here using it? Or knowing which applications support it well?

Not that I'm using it, but it is one of the only 3 formats MS Paint 3D can save into. (in Paint3d, one can draw on surface of the model with pen)

None of these appear to be readable by FreeCAD.

[wmayer]

Not that I'm using it, but it is one of the only 3 formats MS Paint 3D can save into. (in Paint3d, one can draw on surface of the model with pen)

I guess MS Paint3D is a Windows 10 application. What are the other two formats?

[DeepSOIC]

What are the other two formats?

GLB and FBX

[wmayer]

Thanks.

FBX -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBX
GLB -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GlTF#GLB

[yorik]

I think FBX is a bit beyond our scope, it's a format really aimed at animation, not at technical 3D. GLTF is mostly for output, not really to transfer data to other "editing" applications. Of the three, 3MF would seem the most interesting to work with...

[pablogil]

3MF is the supposed future of 3D printing when multimaterials become usual, etc.
I think it’s not bad idea to implement it into FreeCAD, but, of course, I don’t know if the effort would worth it right now...
As an example, I’m not using it now but surely would use it if included into FreeCAD

Cheers

[kkremitzki]

Lib3MF just got uploaded to Debian Unstable so it'll likely make it to Debian 10 and future Ubuntu releases.