Why Wikimedia Commons only takes STL, for now

Commons currently accepts 3D model uploads only as binary STL, specifically binary, not the older ASCII/STLA variant. STL is a geometry-only format: no color, no texture, no material data. Geometric surface detail represented by the mesh survives an STL export. Photographic textures and standard material information do not.

For the supported upload types, consult Commons’ file-type guidance. Format support can change; the geometry-only STL workflow described here reflects the project’s uploads.

The practical workaround: dual-host. Geometry goes to Commons as STL, satisfying the archive's actual requirement. The full textured model, where one exists, stays hosted elsewhere, linked back from the same record. Two files, two purposes: one for the permanent public archive, one for seeing the thing.

Worth knowing before a capture ever reaches Commons, not after. It changes nothing about how to capture, but it does change what "done" looks like for a submission.

Editorial correction, 14 October 2026: clarified that STL preserves mesh geometry, including geometric surface detail, while omitting photographic textures.