File format comparison
This is a file format comparison of popular and widely used file formats for geometry and AEC related data storage.
For descriptions see AEC Open Data Standards Directory
| Format | Open Format? | Support | Stores metadata | Stores materials | Stores parametric controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | No | ArchiCAD | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) |
| IFC | Yes | ArchiCAD, Autodesk Revit, Blender, FreeCAD, Rhino, SketchUp, Tekla, and over 300 other software. | Yes (ISO-compliant) | Yes (ISO-compliant) | Basic (ISO-compliant) |
| RFA | No | Revit, bimrv | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) |
| DWG | No | Most proprietary CAD, not compatible with most open source CAD | Basic (proprietary) | Basic (proprietary) | No |
| DXF | Yes | Supported by all that support DWG, plus all open source CAD | Basic | Basic | No |
| STL | Yes | Blender, FreeCAD, Rhino, SketchUp | No | Possible, but inconvenient | No |
| STEP | No | Good | Yes (Most vendor exports don’t) | Yes (Most vendors have not implemented) | Yes (Most vendors have not implemented) |
| OBJ | Yes | Good | ? | Yes (.mtl) | |
| FBX | No | Good | ? | ||
| SKP | No | SketchUp | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) | Yes (proprietary) |
| BLEND | Yes | Blender Bonsai | Yes | Yes | Yes |