OBJ File Extension

What is the .OBJ file type?

The filename extension .obj primarily denotes the Wavefront 3D Model (.obj) file format, developed by Wavefront Technologies and introduced with their Advanced Visualizer software. OBJ is a text-based 3D geometry description format that allows to define complex volumetric objects and apply materials and textures to them.

The .obj file is the main part of a Wavefront 3D model. In this large text document, the model's 3D geometry is defined. Besides the .obj file itself, a typical Wavefront 3D object or scene includes one or several Material Template Library (MTL) files (.mtl) in which the object's materials are defined, referencing external bitmap textures usually stored in a separate subdirectory (e.g., "Textures").

OBJ has become one of the most popular and universally supported 3D model exchange formats, with .obj import/export capabilities present in every 3D modeling tool. Many 3D model viewers can open .obj files and display the contained models, fully rendered, and a number of converters allow to transform .obj models into other 3D formats. Entire collections and libraries of OBJ models exist on the Internet.

Alternatively, the .obj extension represents the Compiled Object Code (.obj) file type, with reference to several object file formats on the Microsoft Windows platform. Generated as a result of source code compilation, an object file (.obj) contains architecture- and platform-specific machine code along with linking data, symbolic cross-references, etc. Unlike compiled executables (.exe), an object file (.obj) cannot be directly run, acting rather as an application library. Historically, the .obj extension once belonged exclusively to the Relocatable Object Module Format (OMF) used on MS-DOS and 16-bit Windows.

Software to open or convert OBJ files

Adobe Photoshop CC by Adobe Systems Incorporated

 

Adobe Photoshop CC

 

Repetier-Host by repetier

 

Parallels Tools Center

 

Cura by Ultimaker

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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