Frequently asked questions

MicroPlugins is a free collection of web apps that run entirely in your browser. The first category, 3D Tools, includes a 3D viewer, a 3D converter and a 3D compressor. A calculator, a video editor and WordPress plugins are in development.

Yes. Every tool is free to use, with no watermarks, no trial period and no account to create.

No. There is nothing to sign up for. Open a tool and start working.

The 3D Viewer, the 3D Converter and the 3D Compressor, plus 9 format viewer pages and 16 converter pages for common jobs. See all tools.

Yes. You can use the tools for personal and commercial projects. You keep every right to your files and to anything you create with the tools.

No. Your browser reads and processes each file on your own device. Files are not sent to MicroPlugins or to anyone else.

Open your browser’s developer tools (F12, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac), select the Network tab and drop in a file. You will see the page load its code, but no request that sends your file. Step-by-step instructions.

No. MicroPlugins sets no cookies and runs no analytics, advertising or tracking scripts. A few preferences, such as your light or dark theme, are saved in your own browser. See the privacy policy.

Because files never leave your device, MicroPlugins avoids the main risk of online tools: a copy of your file on someone else’s server. As with any software, follow your organisation’s rules for confidential data.

Almost nothing. Like every website, our hosting provider logs standard request data, such as IP address, browser type and pages requested, to deliver the site and block abuse. We have no accounts, profiles or tracking.

Open 30+ 3D and CAD formats, browse the part hierarchy, measure distances, cut cross-sections, explode assemblies, edit materials, add decals, change lighting, play animations, save screenshots and view models in AR on iPhone and iPad.

GLB, glTF, OBJ, STL, PLY and USDZ. It reads any format the viewer opens, converts files in batch, and warns you when the target format cannot keep something, such as materials or animation.

It depends on the model. Texture-heavy models usually shrink the most, because colour textures are resized and re-encoded as WebP. Dense meshes gain most from Draco or Meshopt. The compressor shows the size before and after for every file.

Yes, on iPhone and iPad. The viewer creates a USDZ copy of the model on your device and opens it in AR Quick Look. You can also convert GLB to USDZ to keep the file.

Yes. They work in mobile browsers on Android and iOS. Small and medium models are quick on a phone; very large CAD or BIM files are more comfortable on a computer.

More than 30, including STEP, IGES, BREP, IFC, glTF, GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, 3MF, AMF, PLY, Rhino 3DM, FreeCAD FCStd, Collada DAE, 3DS and VRML. Compare the formats.

Single files up to 2 GB are supported. Because the work happens on your device, the practical limit is its memory. Very large CAD assemblies open best on a desktop or laptop.

Yes. Drop the model together with its companion files, such as .bin, .mtl and textures. You can also drop the whole folder, or a ZIP archive that contains it.

Some formats cannot store everything. STL, for example, has no colours or textures, and OBJ has no animation. The converter lists what the target format will drop before you download, so you can pick another one.

Yes. The engine behind the 3D Viewer is a free JavaScript library with a <universal-3d-viewer> web component. Read how to embed a 3D model or the developer docs.

Yes. It is released under the MIT licence. The source code is public, and the licences of the open-source parts it uses are listed on the licences page.

Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android and iOS. The 3D tools need WebGL 2 and WebAssembly, which all of these support.