MicroPlugins Team

Load the free, MIT-licensed universal-3d-viewer library with one script tag, then add a universal-3d-viewer element with your model’s URL in src. Visitors can rotate, zoom and view the model in AR. Compress the GLB first and add a poster image with lazy loading, so the 3D model does not slow your page down.

Open the free MicroPlugins IFC viewer in a modern browser and drop your .ifc file onto the page. The open-source web-ifc engine reads IFC2x3 and IFC4 models inside your browser, so there is nothing to install and the file never leaves your device. You can orbit, hide elements, cut sections and measure without Revit.

Open the free MicroPlugins STEP to STL converter, set the mesh quality to Fine, drop in your .step or .stp file and download the STL. The converter turns exact CAD surfaces into the triangles your slicer needs, in millimetres. It runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded. Keep the STEP file as your master copy.

To reduce a GLB or glTF file’s size, shrink the textures first, then compress the geometry. Resize large colour textures and save them as WebP, quantize the vertex data, and apply Draco or Meshopt compression. The free MicroPlugins 3D Compressor does all of this in your browser, with three presets and a before-and-after view to check the result.

glTF and GLB are the same format, glTF 2.0, packaged two ways. A .gltf file is readable JSON that points to separate .bin geometry files and texture images. A .glb file packs the JSON, geometry and textures into one binary file. Use GLB to publish, share or upload a model, and .gltf when you want to read, edit or diff it.

Open the free MicroPlugins STEP viewer in any modern browser and drop your .step or .stp file onto the page. It opens in seconds with every part of the assembly in place. You can rotate, measure and cut sections without installing CAD software, and the file never leaves your device.

The right 3D file format depends on the job. Use STL or 3MF for 3D printing, glTF or GLB for websites and AR, STEP to share exact CAD geometry, IFC for building models, FBX for animated assets and PLY for 3D scans. The biggest difference is between mesh formats, which store triangles, and CAD formats, which store exact surfaces.