Supported formats

Input formats — 3D

Extension	Preprocessing?	Notes
.glb	No (fastest)	Direct path to the SimReady pipeline.
.gltf	Yes	Send as .zip if it has external .bin / textures.
.fbx	Yes	Single-file binary FBX.
.obj	Yes	Send as .zip to include the .mtl and textures.
.stl	Yes	Geometry only — no materials.
.ply	Yes	Geometry only. Must contain faces — see below.
.usd	Yes	Single-file USD.
.usda	Yes	ASCII USD.
.usdc	Yes	Crate-binary USD.
.usdz	Yes	USD-zipped (Pixar standard).
.zip	Yes	Multi-file bundle. See ZIP packaging below.

When preprocessing runs, Rigyd uses Blender to convert the file to a clean GLB before submitting it to the SimReady pipeline. You don’t have to do anything — the API picks the right path based on the extension.

Point clouds and Gaussian splats

A .ply can hold a mesh, a point cloud, or a 3D Gaussian splat. Only a mesh has the triangle surface a simulation asset is built from, so the API reads the PLY header on upload and returns 400 — before any credit is reserved — when it declares no face element or zero faces:

{ "error": "This PLY file is a 3D Gaussian splat (78,426 splats, no faces). It has no triangle surface, so it cannot be converted to a simulation asset. Upload a mesh: a PLY with faces, or a GLB, glTF, OBJ, FBX, STL or USD file." }

A file whose vertices carry f_dc_0 (spherical-harmonic colour) is named a Gaussian splat; any other face-less PLY is named a point cloud. The same check applies to a .zip whose model file is a PLY. Mesh the scan first (for example Poisson reconstruction, or a splat-to-mesh tool) and upload the mesh.

Input formats — images (Generate)

.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp. Max 10 MB per image. Up to 4 images per request.

ZIP packaging

Use .zip when your model has companion files that must travel together:

Primary file	What goes in the ZIP
*.obj	The .obj + its .mtl + every texture it references
*.gltf	The .gltf + its .bin + every texture
*.usd[a]	The .usd + every file referenced via @./...@

Rules:

• The archive must contain exactly one primary file (.obj / .gltf / .usd[a]).
• Texture / mesh references must be relative (./diffuse.png, not absolute paths).
• The API validates the archive on upload — invalid layouts fail at 400 before any credit is reserved.

Note

When you send a ZIP, the response payload includes input.metadata describing the detected primary file, the texture set, and the file tree. See GET /api/conversions/:id.

File size limits

500 MB per upload (server-side nginx limit). For larger assets, decimate locally first.