Quick verdict: The format decides what you can do next — STL to print, STEP or IGES to redesign, a report to inspect, a textured mesh to archive. Tell us the end result and you get the right one: send us the part or read how quotes work.
When you commission a 3D scan, the deliverable is not just “a file” — it is a specific data format chosen for what you plan to do next. Printing, redesigning, inspecting and archiving each want a different output, and the format you receive decides what your software can do with the model. Here is what a 3D scanning service delivers, and how to pick the right one.
Mesh files — STL, OBJ, PLY
The mesh is the direct result of a scan: a surface made of triangles that reproduces the object’s shape, point for point.
STL — the 3D-printing standard. What most slicers want, and what we deliver when the goal is a physical copy.
OBJ — a mesh format that can carry texture, useful for visualisation, rendering and presentation work.
PLY — common in scanning and research workflows, and a natural home for colour data and archives.
Meshes are what you want for printing, visualisation and reference geometry. They are not editable CAD solids — for that, the scan has to go one step further.
CAD-ready models — STEP and IGES
If you need an editable design rather than a surface copy of the object, the scan goes through reverse engineering and scan-to-CAD: the mesh is used to build proper surfaces and features. The result is a STEP or IGES model your CAD system can open, measure, modify and eventually machine from — a part you can redesign rather than just replicate.
A CAD model rebuilt from the scan data — the deliverable when the part has to be edited rather than just copied.
Inspection reports
For quality and inspection work, the deliverable is a report, not just a model. A part is scanned, aligned to its CAD design (or a golden sample), and the deviation is mapped across the whole surface: colour maps showing where the part is in and out of tolerance, dimensional checks, and the numbers your quality system needs. This is the format that turns “looks close enough” into documented fact — and it is the same approach described in our quality control guide.
An inspection report: deviation mapped across the whole surface against the CAD design, with the numbers a quality system can file.
Measured dimensions
Sometimes you do not need a model at all — you need numbers. A diameter, a hole position, a gap, a volume or a profile can be measured from the scan and delivered as a simple table or drawing note. It is the lightest-weight deliverable on this page, and often the fastest route to an answer.
Where the deviations sit: a colour map over the scanned part, with the underlying point cloud behind it.
Colour models
Where appearance matters, the scan can carry full colour and texture as well as shape — see colour 3D scanning. The deliverable is a textured mesh that looks like the original object, for archives, presentations and rendering rather than engineering.
Choosing the right deliverable
What you want to do
Deliverable
Typical format
3D print a copy
Watertight mesh, repaired for printing
STL
Redesign or modify the part
Surfaces and features built from the scan
STEP, IGES
Check a part against its design
Inspection report with deviation map
Report + data
Archive or present the object
Textured colour mesh
OBJ, PLY
Model around a physical reference
Reference mesh with key dimensions
Mesh + dimension list
Not sure which row your project sits in? Describe the end result and we will deliver the format that gets you there.
