The 3MF Consortium launch new file format
The 3MF Consortium launch new file format
During last week's AMUG 2015 Awards Banquet the gathered users gave the founding father of 3D Printing, Chuck Hull, an enduring and heartfelt standing ovation. Chuck is recognised as not only the inventor of the hardware that has turned this industry into a billion dollar one, but perhaps his most enduring legacy to those in the know, those giving the applause, was the file format that has stood up to three decades worth of hardware innovation.
The STL file has seen off many challengers but it is about to do battle once more with perhaps its most fierce ever challenger in the shape of 3MF - a file format launched by a consortium of the same name consisting, so far, of Dassault Systèmes S.A.; FIT AG/netfabb GmbH; Microsoft Corporation; HP; Shapeways, Inc.; SLM Solutions Group AG; and Autodesk Inc.
The 3MF Consortium claims that the STL file format (and any others currently in existence) and that the 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) will be a more modern and suitable file format for the current and next generation of 3D printer.
"The 3MF specification will empower people, maximize productivity, and unlock the full capabilities of 3D printing," said Adrian Lannin, executive director, 3MF Consortium. "3MF will align CAD software and 3D printing hardware and software in a more information-rich file format, specifically designed to support the needs of modern 3D printing throughout the entire printing process. I look forward to the collaboration between the members as we work to accomplish this important goal."
"The first version of the file standard of 3MF Consortium is published," said Alex Oster, CEO of netfabb GmbH, and Chairman of the Technical Working Group of the 3MF Consortium. "I would like to thank my colleagues from the founding companies for their time and dedication to get this done. The technical working group is expecting to launch several new important additions to this standard before the year ends. I am looking forward to contributing to this exciting work."
The press release says that 3MF Consortium's mission is to deliver a 3D printing file format that is:
- Rich enough to fully describe a model, retaining internal information, color, and other characteristics;
- Extensible so that it supports new innovations in 3D printing;
- Interoperable and open;
- Practical, simple to understand and easy to implement; and
- Free of the issues inherent in other widely used file formats.
Anybody involved in the industry (including those interviewed for the upcoming episode of TCT Podcast) has said for some time that as 3D printers develop into tools for the manufacturing line the current file formats just don't quite cut (or should that be slice?) it. Certainly with regards to colours and voxel based printing current generation file formats will struggle but bearing in mind that nearly all of the machines currently installed in the world are using STL files, it will take some convincing for current users to make the shift.
During HP's presentation on the open platform they're creating for their Multi-Jet Fusion Technolofy at AMUG 2015, Technologist, Scott White, mentioned the launch of this Joint Development Foundation collaboration with netfabb and as Microsoft leaked news that it was set to launch a new file format at BUILD 2015 it became fairly obvious that this would be in collaboration with HP.
Will the 3MF file format be the one that sticks? Or are we to far down the line with STL to switch? Who is Beetamax and who is VHS? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below.
