STL (STereoLithography) is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software. This file format is supported by many other software packages; it is widely used for rapid prototyping, 3D printing and computer-aided manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three-dimensional object without any representation of color, texture or other common CAD model attributes. The STL format specifies both ASCII and binary representations. Binary files are more common, since they are more compact.
A PRT file is a model part file saved in a three-dimensional model format used by Unigraphics, a 3D CAD program. It contains surface and solid information for a single part. PRT files are saved in a binary format, similar to an Alias wire model and an SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation) model.
A CAD file is an output of a CAD software, containing key information about the designed object: its geometry and topology representation, 3D model hierarchy, metadata, and visual attributes depending on the format of the file.
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