User manual

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File Format Information
Besides our MFCX file format, there are several other file formats that all have
unique attributes and can be used for a variety of purposes:
FILE TYPE
DESCRIPTION
MFCX
(project file)
Matter and Form Inc’s proprietary file format that is the quickest
and easiest format to use while utilizing Matter and Form’s
software. Third party software, however, doesn’t recognize this
file format so scans must be saved in XYZ, PLY, OBJ, or STL
format if you want to view and edit your scans with other software,
such as MeshMixer, MeshLab, Blender, AutoDesk 3D, etc.
XYZ
(point cloud)
The most basic point cloud format, saving your scan as an XYZ
file will simply store all of the points without Color on a Cartesian
coordinate system with X, Y, and Z axes. Used for and with third
party CAD modeling programs.
PLY
(point cloud)
Also called the Stanford Triangle Format, it supports a relatively
simple description of a single object as a list of nominally flat
polygons. A variety of properties can be stored including Color
and transparency, surface normals, texture coordinates and data
confidence values. The format permits you to have different
properties for the front and back of a polygon.
OBJ
(meshed)
An OBJ is another type of 3D model file. It is also used by a
number of 3D modeling programs and meshes the point cloud,
but is used for 3D printing less often than STL. Unlike STLs,
where every facet of your 3D model is a triangle, an OBJ can
contain both triangles and other polygons. Due to innate
properties associated with our MFCX software, our scanner’s
camera takes 12 photos during each 360° turntable rotation while
simultaneously capturing the point cloud. These photos are then
layered onto the meshed point cloud while exporting/saving to
OBJ format. In 3D computer graphics (CGI), one of the most
common geometry interchange file formats is the OBJ because it
captures texture so well. There are a few 3D printers that can
print OBJs and reproduce the texture and Color.
STL
(meshed)
An STL is a widely-used type of 3D model file. It consists of
surfaces made up of triangles. Each triangle has an inner side
and an outer side. The outer side is called the “normal.” In a well-
formed STL, all the normals face outward and the surface is
continuous, with no holes. When a model meets these standards,
we refer to this as a “watertight mesh.” This watertight-ness is
typically mandatory for 3D printing.