OBJ8 (.obj) File Format Specification
- TEXTURE APPLICATION. X-Plane’s lighting/texturing model consists of separate albedo and emissive inputs. ...
- OBJECT SYNTAX. OBJ8 files are ASCII text files; the legal character set is the set of printable 7-bit ASCII files.
- OBJECT SEMANTICS. Records fall into three categories: attributes, data, and commands. ...
- GLOBAL PROPERTY RECORDS. ...
- COMMAND RECORDS. ...
Full Answer
Should you use the OBJ 3D file format?
- Hierarchical objects in the 3D scene structure
- Scene information including light sources and cameras and an instance feature
- Skeletal (joints) structure and morph animation
- Greater variety and reliability of materials and shaders
How to include .OBJ files into the project?
There include:
- $@: the target filename.
- $*: the target filename without the file extension.
- $<: the first prerequisite filename.
- $^: the filenames of all the prerequisites, separated by spaces, discard duplicates.
- $+: similar to $^, but includes duplicates.
- $?: the names of all prerequisites that are newer than the target, separated by spaces.
How to import .OBJ file?
- Import from file (The default.) Imports the normals used in the OBJ file. ...
- From SM group Generates normals from imported smoothing groups. ...
- Auto Smooth Generates smoothing groups based on the angle between faces. ...
- Faceted All faces are assigned to smoothing group 0: that is, no smoothing is applied, and the imported mesh has a faceted appearance.
How to import a .OBJ file into processing?
in sketchup 2017 or 2018 you have to go in window then go to extensions manager and clik on install extentionlearn How to import .obj 3d files in SketchUp.Pl...
What does an OBJ file contain?
An OBJ file (. obj) contains information about the geometry of 3D objects. The files are used for exchanging information, CAD, and 3D printing. OBJ files can support unlimited colors, and one file can define multiple objects.
How are OBJ files formatted?
The OBJ file format is a simple data-format that represents 3D geometry alone — namely, the position of each vertex, the UV position of each texture coordinate vertex, vertex normals, and the faces that make each polygon defined as a list of vertices, and texture vertices.
What does OBJ file format stand for?
Object fileObj or OBJ may refer to: Object file, an organized machine code file created by a compiler with .obj file extension. Relocatable Object Module Format, an Object file for Intel microprocessors with .obj file extension.
What can read OBJ files?
Programs that open or reference OBJ filesMicrosoft 3D Builder.Microsoft Paint 3D.NewTek Lightwave 3D.Autodesk Maya 2023.Autodesk 3ds Max 2023.DAZ 3D DAZ Studio 4.Blender.MeshLab.More items...•
Do OBJ files contain textures?
As such, OBJs can encode the surface geometry of a 3D model but can also store color and texture information. The format does not store any scene information (such as light position) or animations, however.
Do OBJ files have color?
Materials and colours On sculpteo.com, for example, the MTL file and the OBJ file can be downloaded together into an archive file (ZIP file for example) to use the texture, colour and material information. It's one of the best formats for printing multi-coloured material.
What is the difference between OBJ and STL?
STL files store objects as sets of vertices joined by edges to make triangular faces. OBJ files store 3D information as a list of vertices joined by edges, and unlike STLs, they support polygonal faces that allow for a closer representation of the original geometry.
What is the difference between OBJ and FBX?
Generally speaking, FBX is far more complex than OBJ - it supports mesh data, color data, vertex painting, animations, lighting, rigs, joints, skinning, cameras, etc. OBJ is much simpler, supporting just 3D objects and their geometry. For Roblox specifically - if you're only working with meshes then OBJ should be fine.
Can Blender Open .OBJ files?
Luckily, Blender offers a wide range of file formats (e.g. OBJ, FBX, 3DS, PLY, STL, etc.) that can be used to import and export.
How do I view a .OBJ file?
Need to view 3D files online? Just install the software OBJ Viewer To begin viewing 3D files, simply do the following Install the extension OBJ Viewer Click on the extension icon Choose the 3D file you wish to open Begin viewing your 3D files online today! This 3D viewer works for both STL and OBJ file formats.
How do I open an OBJ file in AutoCAD?
Right now, AutoCAD cannot read an . obj file directly. Please use Autodesk 3DS Max to create the . dwg file from the OBJ file.
How do I view 3D objects?
Online 3D Viewer is another great viewer that made the list. ... Sketchfab is a website for publishing, sharing and discovering 3D and VR content. ... It allows you to easily display 3D models on the web and view them on any browser, mobile, desktop, or a Virtual Reality headset.More items...•
What is an obj file?
OBJ file allows color and texture information to store in an associated file format called the Material Template Library (MTL). Multi-color geometric models render using these two files together. MTL files are ASCII based and facilitates in computer rendering by describing light reflecting properties of a surface using the model of Phong reflection. The standard has been adopted by a large number of software vendors who take its advantage for interchange of materials. MTL format is slightly outdated for not having support in latest technologies such as specular and parallax maps.
Why use freeform surfaces?
Use of freeform surfaces are very advantageous as they are more precise to keep file sizes smaller at higher precision. These surfaces are essential part of aerospace and automotive industry where the low precision is unforgiving. The following keywords are arranged by data type to define surface geometry. Elements.
Material template library
A single .mtl file may define multiple materials. Materials are defined one after another in the file, each starting with the newmtl command:
See also
PLY (file format) is an alternative file format offering more flexibility than most stereolithography applications.
What is an obj file?
OBJ is a vector file, which makes the defined objects scalable. There’s no maximum file size.
Can you edit an OBJ file by hand?
Technically, since the OBJ format is simple (the data is uncompressed, and is in ASCII), you could conceivably edit a file by hand (but this doesn’t happen often).
Can an OBJ file be referenced to multiple MTL files?
To reference an MTL file, use the following syntax in the OBJ file: OBJ files can reference multiple MTL files, which allows the ability to add numerous features to objects. Multiple OBJ files can reference the same MTL file. Each MTL file may contain one or more color and texture definitions.
Is OBJ better than STL?
Like all file formats, OBJ files do have some limitations, and it may be better to use a different format. Those scenarios include: Not all printers support OBJ, so STL may be a better option. Either way, check to make sure the printer you want to use supports your file format.
Can Blender import OBJ files?
It can import OBJ files and convert them to Blender’s format (called a BLEND file). You can also add OBJ files to existing BLEND files. Blender can also export files in the OBJ format, but because BLEND files have more data, not everything will be available in the exported file.
Is OBJ open source?
OBJ has a simple file structure compared to COLLOADA. OBJ is open source, and it’s a good bridge for converting files to other formats if you can’t convert between the two directly.
Can you add visual information to an OBJ file?
OBJ files don’t contain visual information, but you can add this information to the objects in the OBJ file by referencing a support file. Here’s an example of an MTL file from Florida State University:
Can you edit an obj file?
The OBJ file format is a text file format, which means you can edit OBJ files in a text editor if you are hard-core. Unfortunately, the original specification didn't seem to state what the end of line character should be, so some tools use carriage-returns and some use linefeeds. You may have to convert the end of line characters depending on which ...
Does Poser 3 use OBJ?
Poser 3 only uses a subset of the full OBJ file format. Here's everything you need to know about OBJ files if your just using Poser. This document leaves out all non- Poser usable commands and options so you aren't confused about things you'll never need. I recommend reading this tutorial, then opening up a couple OBJ files and checking them out, ...
What is an OBJ file?
The OBJ format can be an initial-state format, created by a 3D scanning process. It often serves as a middle-state format, created as output from software that supports 3D design. An OBJ model will often be input to a 3D printing process or to more advanced 3D modeling software to include in a 3D scene or animation.
When did Wavefront start using object files?
The format was first used by Wavefront Technologies around 1990 and a specification was published to encourage interoperability. The introduction to the specification stated, "Object files define the geometry and other properties for objects in Wavefront’s Advanced Visualizer.
What is a non blank line in an OBJ file?
Each non-blank line begins with a keyword and may be followed on the same line with the data for that keyword. Lines are read and processed until the end of the file. Lines can be logically joined with the line continuation character ( ) at the end of a line. The following keywords may be included in an OBJ file.
Do OBJ files have a header?
OBJ files do not require any sort of header, although it is common to begin the file with a comment line of some kind. Comment lines begin with a hash mark (#). Blank space and blank lines can be freely added to the file to aid in formatting and readability.
Change History
- The initial OBJ8 format was supported starting in X-Plane 816. X-Plane 850, 900, and 920 extended the format
Object State
- OBJ8 defines and tracks the following object state: 1. [deprecated] Flat/Smooth shading (default is smooth). In flat shading, the entire triangle is drawn with the same brightness. In smooth shading, the corners of the triangle have the shading levels appropriate for their normals, and the interior is interpolated. Note that since flat shading can be simulating via per-vertex normals, it i…
Texture Application
- X-Plane’s lighting/texturing model consists of separate albedo and emissive inputs. An X-Plane object can reference three textures: 1. 1.1. The “daytime” (albedo) texture for the object, specified via the TEXTURE command. This command is mandatory – if the texture name is blank, a gray proxy texture is used. 1.2. The “_LIT” (emissive) texture for the object, specified via the TEXTURE…
Object Global Properties
- X-Plane 9 objects have only a few properties: the texures used for albedo, emissive, and normal/specular, and the weight of the object. X-Plane 10 introduces a large number of new global properties: 1. A second set of textures (albedo/emissive/normal+specular) for draped textures. If these are not specified, the object textures are used. 2. LOD and layer group properties for drape…
Object Syntax
- OBJ8 files are ASCII text files; the legal character set is the set of printable 7-bit ASCII files. Lines are defined by newline character sequences, which are one of: 1. Macintosh: a single CR (13) 2. Unix: a single LF (10) 3. DOS: a CR followed by an LF Any one choice of newline sequences may be used consistently throughout the file. One or more Tabs (8) and/or spaces (32) are treated a…
Object Semantics
- Records fall into three categories: attributes, data, and commands. The order of the file must feature all attributes first, then all data, then all commands. Attribute records can be in any order. Data record types can be in any order, but ordering within a type of data record defines the indexing interpretation. Commands are executed in the order of the records in the file and are ne…
Global Property Records
- Global property records define the overall properties of the entire object. Besides a few bits of meta-data (e.g. how much does the object weigh) global properties can set the default shader state for the entire object. Optimization Note: global properties set the default shader state of the object, and therefore they had different performance characteristics than the regular ATTR com…
Overview
OBJ (or .OBJ) is a geometry definition file format first developed by Wavefront Technologies for its Advanced Visualizer animation package. The file format is open and has been adopted by other 3D graphics application vendors.
The OBJ file format is a simple data-format that represents 3D geometry alone — namely, the position of each vertex, the UV position of each texture coordinate vertex, vertex normals, and the …
File format
Anything following a hash character (#) is a comment.
An OBJ file may contain vertex data, free-form curve/surface attributes, elements, free-form curve/surface body statements, connectivity between free-form surfaces, grouping and display/render attribute information. The most common elements are geometric vertices, texture coordinates, vertex normals and polygonal faces:
Material template library
The Material Template Library format (MTL) or .MTL File Format is a companion file format to .OBJ, also defined by Wavefront Technologies, that describes surface shading (material) properties of objects within one or more .OBJ files. A .OBJ file references one or more .MTL files (called "material libraries"), and from there, references one or more material descriptions by name. .MTL files are ASCII text that define the light reflecting properties of a surface for the purposes of computer …
See also
• glTF
• OFF (file format)
• STL (file format)
• PLY (file format) is an alternative file format offering more flexibility than most stereolithography applications.
External links
• Appendix B1. Object Files (.obj), Advanced Visualizer Manual
• Mtl Specification
• Tools, libraries and example files
• FileFormat.Info: Wavefront OBJ File Format Summary