The Complete AutoCAD to PLY Conversion Guide

This guide is part of the RapidPipeline 3D Formats Knowledge Database. It shows how to convert AutoCAD to PLY, if you'd like to know more about the formats, please check out the following links:

• Learn more about the AutoCAD format
• Learn more about the PLY format

There are various ways to convert between AutoCAD and PLY. With RapidPipeline, you can easily convert and and optimize AutoCAD files, at scale. It supports PLY, as well as many other file formats (examples: 3dsMax, CATIA, Creo, FBX, glTF, Inventor, Navisworks, OBJ, Revit, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, STEP, STL, USD, USDZ, VRM), at high quality.

Below you can find a video explaining how to convert your files:

The AutoCAD file is a format mostly used for Industry-standard 2D and 3D computer-aided design software for technical drawing and drafting.
The PLY file is a format mostly used for 3D scanning.

The following limitations should be taken into account when converting AutoCAD files to PLY format:

AutoCAD Feature (not supported by PLY)	Limitation Details
Free-Form Surfaces	Free-Form Surfaces: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Free-form surfaces allow a CAD user to design surfaces with advanced controls over curvature and continuitiy. While these surfaces are common for CAD models (in the form of so-called boundary representations or "B-reps"), they need to be converted to polygonal triangle or quad data to work with most 3D rendering engines - a process called tessellation. In this example, a surface patch is used to describe a part of a curved surface of a product. Without support for this feature, the free-form surface has to be tessellated into quads or triangles.
Texture Transforms	Texture Transforms: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Texture transforms describe transformation operations that are applied to 2D texture images or UV coordinates when using 2D texture data on a 3D surface. They can be used, for example, to make sure that material patterns are using real-world scale when rendered on the 3D surface. In this example, such a pattern is used and scaled with the help of a texture transform. Without support for this feature, the texture pattern shows up at the wrong scale.
Multiple UV Channels	Multiple UV Channels: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Multiple UV channels allow the optimized and sophisticated use of various 3D modeling features at once. For example, one can use one set of UVs and 2D texture data to model a tiling texture or procedural material, and another UV set to leverage a global lightmap or occlusion map of the 3D model. In this example, a combination of tiled texture (UV channel 1) and baked ambient occlusion map (UV channel 2) is used. Without support for this feature, one needs to either give up the tiling property (e.g., by using a tool like RapidPipline to bake a single texture atlas), or give up the ambient occlusion map, as only one UV channel will be usable.
Embedded Textures	Embedded Textures: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Embedded textures allow the storage and exchange of an entire 3D model and its materials within a single file, by embedding the texture images directly into the 3D file (and not storing them as separate image files). Without support for this feature, textures have to be stored in separate image files, and referenced from the main 3D model file.
Transparent Materials	Transparent Materials: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Transparency is commonly used for see-through objects, containing (usually partially) transparent surfaces. In this example, a transparent material is used to model the glass window of the microwave, so that one can see inside. Without support for this feature, the inside of the microwave cannot be seen, as the window will be rendered as an opaque surface.
Scene Nodes	Scene Nodes: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Scene nodes make it possible to address parts of a 3D model separately. For example, a part could be dynamically hidden or shown as part of a 3D configurator. Without support for this feature, a 3D scene will only consist of a flat model, without parts being individually configurable.
Hierarchical Scene Graph	Hierarchical Scene Graph: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Scene graphs are one of the most common concepts in 3D computer graphics. By structuring the scene in a hierarchical way, logical parts of it can be easily addressed and transformed. This is useful in many applications, like games or 3D configurators. Without support for this feature, a 3D scene cannot be structured hierarchically, for example objects cannot be logically composed of smaller objects.
Scene Composition	Scene Composition: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Scene Composition describes the process of composing a scene through links from a main scene that pull in various other scenes/3D models. This can also happen in a nested fashion (through multiple levels of linkage). With a target format not supporting this feature, references to external models must be resolved and the content be baked into one 3D model, which is then saved in that target format.
Standardized Format	Standardized Format: supported in AutoCAD, but not in PLY. Standardization plays a huge role in 3D model formats. With a format being standardized, every application will have a clear way of how to load or store data using this format. This makes it easier to re-use the 3D model across different applications, but also to make sure it will still be accessible and usable after a couple of years.

Doing 3D conversion right, especially at scale, can be tricky, as 3D data is in general a rather complex (yet very powerful!) medium. This also applies to AutoCAD and PLY files - the conversion guide above provides a rough first idea about that. Once you know what you would like to do, tools like RapidPipeline can help you perform the necessary steps, and to even automate the process for thousands or even millions of files.

Especially when introducing pipelines and workflows at scale in an enterprise context, it is usually good to rely on dedicated tools and expertise, making sure you do not introduce any steps into your 3D workflow that are detrimental to the final output's quality, or that take your team too much time (and money).

If you're interested to hire dedicated expertise from the best in the field to help your company reach your goals fast and reliably, please do not hestitate to contact DGG. Being the creators of RapidPipeline, and ambassadors for open 3D standards for more than a decade, we have been building some of the world's most advanced 3D pipelines, having processed many millions of 3D assets.

Therefore, our expertise will help you to reach your goals faster, at scale, and with the least possible friction, since we are focused on maximum interoperability.

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