Convert PRC to PLY (Free)
Also converts STL, OBJ, GLB, USDZ, 3MF, DAE from the same file.
Runs in your browser. No upload, no signup, nothing to install.
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
How to convert PRC to PLY
- 1
Open your .prc file
Drag it onto the viewer above, or click "Open a PRC File". Files up to 200 MB open directly; the parse runs in a worker so the page stays responsive.
- 2
Click Download PLY
Once the file is open, the Download PLY button sits at the bottom right of the viewer. The Export menu in the toolbar has every other format.
- 3
Download
The .ply is written in the browser and saved straight to your downloads folder. No queue, no email, no watermark.
What survives the conversion
A file conversion is a translation, and formats do not carry the same things. Here is exactly what moves from PRC into PLY, and what does not.
| Geometry | Kept | Both formats store triangle meshes, so the shape transfers directly. |
|---|---|---|
| Colors and materials | Reduced | PRC can hold material colors and PLY holds per-vertex color, so materials are flattened to that. |
| Layers and structure | Dropped | PLY is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, OBJ, DXF instead. |
| Units and scale | Dropped | PLY stores no unit. Coordinates are written in meters, so set the import unit to meters if the destination asks. |
What the PLY writer emits: Binary little-endian PLY with x/y/z and per-vertex RGB, faces for meshes, edges for linework, vertices only for clouds.
The source: PRC (.prc, 3D PDF) (.prc)
A PRC model (.prc, ISO 14739-1) as Acrobat, Tetra4D and the 3D PDF publishers of CAD programs write it, on its own or inside a 3D PDF: the assembly tree with every part placed, the triangle meshes it stores (compressed ones rebuilt exactly), wire edges as lines, colours from its styles and materials, in its units, turned upright. Exact surfaces with no mesh are not read.
The target: Polygon File Format (.ply)
The scanning and photogrammetry format, and the one interchange format that treats point clouds as first-class.
Opens in: CloudCompare, MeshLab, Blender, Metashape, RealityCapture.
Your file never leaves your computer
Both the PRC parser and the PLY writer are JavaScript and WebAssembly running in your own browser tab. There is no upload step, no server-side conversion queue, and no copy of your file anywhere but your machine. That matters for drawings under NDA, for client work, and for anything you would not email to a stranger.
Free to Use, No Signup
There are no accounts and no watermarks on this converter. If it saved you time, the one thing we ask is a mention: a post, a link from your blog or course page, or a reply to someone asking how to open a file.
Share it
Made something reusable? Add it to the Free Parts Library. Writing about it? Copy a link, badge or citation. Send us your post and we’ll feature it with a link to your site.
Hear about new formats
Occasional emails when the viewer learns a new format or gets a new tool.
Frequently asked questions
▶Is this PRC to PLY converter free?
Yes. No signup, no watermark, no per-file limit and no paid tier. Innerscene.
▶Is my PRC file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read with the browser file API and converted in the same tab. Nothing is sent to a server unless you explicitly click Share, which is a separate, opt-in feature.
▶Will my colors and materials survive the PLY export?
PRC can hold material colors and PLY holds per-vertex color, so materials are flattened to that.
▶Do layers and named parts carry into the PLY file?
PLY is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, OBJ, DXF instead.
▶Will the PLY open at the right size?
PLY stores no unit. Coordinates are written in meters, so set the import unit to meters if the destination asks.
▶How large a PRC file can I convert?
Up to 200 MB, and the ceiling adapts to how much memory your device reports. The conversion runs on your own hardware, so a desktop with plenty of RAM will handle more than a phone.
▶Can I convert PLY back to PRC?
Not here. We read PRC and write PLY, but not the reverse. the universal 3D viewer
▶Which browsers does it work in?
Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. No plugin and no extension.
Convert PRC to something else
Convert something else to PLY
Or start from the universal 3D viewer.