Raw Triangles .raw
Nine numbers a line: one triangle, spelled out. Nothing else.
What an .raw file holds
The RAW format is a text file in which every line is a complete triangle: nine floating-point numbers, optionally preceded by a group name. There is no index, no vertex sharing, no header and no specification beyond that. It exists because it takes about ten lines of code to write from any language, which makes it the format of choice for quick scripted exports and for teaching mesh handling.
Commonly seen in: scripted exports, POV-Ray tooling, teaching material.
| Data | Stored in RAW |
|---|---|
| Geometry | Yes |
| Materials and colour | No |
| Texture maps | No |
| Animation and rigs | No |
| Scene hierarchy | No |
| Read here | Yes |
| Written here | Yes |
Tested against a real file
The last sweep loaded WithTexture.raw from Assimp test models through the viewer on this site: 7 triangles across 3 meshes and 3 materials, in 1.9 seconds. Every format's result is on the test results page, run 2026-09-08.
Convert RAW to another format
Every pairing has a page saying what survives the trip.
Convert something else to RAW
Other things to do with an .raw file
Questions about RAW
How do I open an .raw file?
Drop it into the viewer on this site and it opens in the browser, with the scene tree, the materials and the mesh statistics. Nothing is uploaded. If you want it in another program instead, convert it to GLB, which almost everything reads.
Is RAW a good format to archive in?
RAW stores geometry. Anything outside that list will not be in the file at all, so archive the original alongside it if the surfacing or the rig matters.
Does converting RAW lose quality?
Geometry is copied vertex for vertex, so the shape does not degrade. What gets lost is whatever the target format has no field for: convert to STL and the materials go, convert to OBJ and the animation goes. The comparison table on each converter page says exactly which.
Formats that hold the same things
Or go back to the full format reference.