3D file formats supported in Preview on Mac
Preview can open the following 3D file formats.
Note: Preview edits single-layer USD, USDA, USDC, and USDZ files directly. For other formats—including USD files made up of multiple layers—Preview saves your changes to a copy the first time you edit the file, leaving the original untouched.
Format | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USDZ (.usdz) | A portable, self-contained package that bundles a 3D scene and all of its assets—textures, materials, and geometry—into a single file. Because everything is packaged together, USDZ is the preferred format for sharing 3D content. AR Quick Look on iPhone and iPad uses USDZ. | ||||||||||
USD, USDA, and USDC (.usd, .usda, .usdc) | Universal Scene Description (USD) is a format developed by Pixar for exchanging 3D scenes. USD comes in three variants: USDA stores the scene as readable text, USDC stores it as a compact binary file, and USD files are detected automatically as one or the other. Unlike USDZ, these files may reference external assets such as textures stored in separate files. | ||||||||||
PLY (.ply) | A mesh format used to store 3D geometry. Preview also supports PLY files that contain Gaussian splats—a technique for creating photorealistic 3D reconstructions from real-world photos or video. Splats display only in OpenUSD Storm; otherwise, Preview reads and converts the file without rendering them. | ||||||||||
STL (.stl) | A widely used mesh format, commonly associated with 3D printing. | ||||||||||
Alembic (.abc) | An interchange format used in professional 3D and visual effects workflows to store complex geometry and animation data. Preview supports Alembic files in Ogawa format only. Files in HDF5 format aren’t supported. | ||||||||||
GLTF and GLB (.gltf, .glb) | 3D formats commonly used on the web and in game engines. GLB is a single-file binary version of GLTF, which may consist of multiple files. | ||||||||||
Wavefront OBJ (.obj) | One of the most widely supported 3D mesh formats, commonly used to exchange geometry between 3D applications. | ||||||||||
MaterialX (.mtlx) | A format that defines how surfaces look—their colors, textures, and material properties—without including any 3D geometry. When you open a MaterialX file, Preview automatically creates a shader ball, a preview sphere used to display the materials. | ||||||||||
OpenVDB (.vdb) | A format for volumetric data—three-dimensional effects like clouds, fire, smoke, and liquids. When you open a VDB file, Preview creates a scene with the volume data and applies a default material. Volumetric effects don’t display when using RealityKit as the renderer; switch to OpenUSD Storm or Raytracer to view them. | ||||||||||