---
id: lib3mf
version: "2.5.0"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# lib3mf — lib3mf is an implementation of the 3D Manufacturing Format file standard

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 343.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

lib3mf is a Python binding to a C++ implementation of the 3D Manufacturing Format standard, enabling developers to read, write, and validate 3MF files used in 3D printing and modeling workflows. The package provides a clean API for creating and manipulating 3D mesh objects, defining vertices and triangles, applying transformations, and serializing models to 3MF format.

The library runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS with precompiled wheels, eliminating the need for compilation. It has no runtime dependencies and is designed to lower adoption barriers for 3MF by offering straightforward integration into existing applications. The package is actively maintained and released under a permissive BSD license.

Use it for:

- Create and export 3D models to 3MF format for 3D printing workflows
- Parse and validate existing 3MF files in 3D design or manufacturing software
- Convert 3D mesh data (vertices and triangles) into standardized 3MF files
- Build 3D printing middleware or service tools that need 3MF support
- Integrate 3MF file handling into CAD or modeling applications

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

lib3mf reads, writes, and validates 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) files, providing a Python interface to a C++ implementation of the 3MF standard for 3D printing and modeling.

Yes. lib3mf is production-stable, actively maintained, permissively licensed, and has zero known vulnerabilities. Install friction is moderate due to binary wheels but manageable. Choose it if you need to work with 3MF files in Python; it is the standard binding for the 3MF Consortium's reference implementation.

## Install

pip install lib3mf
uv add lib3mf
poetry add lib3mf

## Installing lib3mf

Before you install: Medium install friction due to precompiled binary wheels for macOS, Linux, and Windows; no runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with a release 172 days ago.

License in practice: Permissive BSD license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; third-party components (libzip, zlib, cpp-base64, fast-float) are also permissively licensed.

Quickstart:

import lib3mf
from lib3mf import get_wrapper

wrapper = get_wrapper()
model = wrapper.CreateModel()
mesh_object = model.AddMeshObject()
mesh_object.SetName("Box")
writer = model.QueryWriter("3mf")
writer.WriteToFile("output.3mf")

Verify before relying:

- Minimum Python version requirement (requires_python field is unspecified in metadata)
- Whether the package supports Python 2 or only Python 3 (classifiers indicate Python 3 but version range unclear)

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 343.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

3mf file reader writer, 3d manufacturing format, 3mf parser, 3d model file handling, 3mf validation, 3d printing file format, mesh 3mf conversion, 3d-printing, file-format, mesh-processing

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/lib3mf) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/lib3mf/)