table of contents
| F3D(1) | User Commands | F3D(1) |
NAME¶
F3D - fast and minimalist 3D viewer
DESCRIPTION¶
F3D - A fast and minimalist 3D viewer Usage:
- f3d [OPTIONS...] file1 file2 ...
- Applicative options:
- --input <files>
- Input files
- -D, --define libf3d.option=value
- Define libf3d options
- -R, --reset libf3d.option
- Reset libf3d options
- --output <png file>
- Render to file
- --no-background [=<bool>(=1)]
- No background when render to file (default: false)
- -h, --help
- Print help
- --version
- Print version details
- --list-readers
- Print the list of readers
- --force-reader [=<reader>(=1)]
- Force a specific reader to be used, disregarding the file extension
- --list-bindings [=<bool>(=1)]
- Print the list of interaction bindings and exits, ignored with `--no-render`, only considers the first file group. (default: false)
- --config <filePath/filename/fileStem>
- Specify the configuration file to use. absolute/relative path or filename/filestem to search in configuration file locations
- --no-config [=<bool>(=1)]
- Do not read the configuration file (default: false)
- --no-render [=<bool>(=1)]
- Do not render anything and quit right after loading the first file, use with --verbose to recover information about a file. (default: false)
- --rendering-backend <string>
- Backend to use when rendering (auto|glx|wgl|egl|osmesa) (default: auto)
- --list-rendering-backends
- Print the list of rendering backends available on this system
- --max-size <size in Mib>
- Maximum size in Mib of a file to load, leave empty for unlimited
- --watch [=<bool>(=1)]
- Watch current file and automatically reload it whenever it is modified on disk (default: false)
- --frame-rate <fps>
- Frame rate used to refresh animation and other repeated tasks (watch, UI). Does not impact rendering frame rate. (default: 30.0)
- --load-plugins <paths or names>
- List of plugins to load separated with a comma
- --scan-plugins
- Scan standard directories for plugins and display available plugins (result can be incomplete)
- --screenshot-filename <filename>
- Screenshot filename (default: {app}/{model}_{n}.png)
- General options:
- --verbose [={debug, info, warning, error, quiet}(=debug)]
- Set verbose level, providing more information about the loaded data in the console output (default: info)
- --loading-progress [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show loading progress bar (default: false)
- --animation-progress [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show animation progress bar (default: false)
- --multi-file-mode <single|all|dir>
- Choose the behavior when opening multiple files. "single" will show one file at a time, "all" will show all files in a single scene, "dir" will show files from the same directory in the same scene. (default: single)
- --up <direction>
- Up direction (default: +Y)
- -x, --axis [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show axes (default: false)
- -g, --grid [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show grid (default: false)
- --grid-absolute [=<bool>(=1)]
- Position grid at the absolute origin instead of below the model (default: false)
- --grid-unit <value>
- Size of grid unit square, automatically computed by default
- --grid-subdivisions <value>
- Number of grid subdivisions (default: 10)
- --grid-color <color>
- Color of main grid lines (default: #000000)
- -e, --edges [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show cell edges
- --armature [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable armature visualization (default: false)
- --camera-index <index>
- Select the camera to use
- -k, --interaction-trackball [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable trackball interaction (default: false)
- --invert-zoom [=<bool>(=1)]
- Invert zoom direction with right mouse click (default: false)
- --animation-autoplay [=<bool>(=1)]
- Automatically start animation (default: false)
- --animation-index <index>
- Select animation to show (deprecated) (default: 0)
- --animation-indices <index,index,index>
- Select animations to show (default: 0)
- --animation-speed-factor <ratio>
- Set animation speed factor (default: 1)
- --animation-time <time>
- Set animation time to load
- --font-file <file_path>
- Path to a FreeType compatible font file
- --font-scale <ratio>
- Scale fonts (default: 1)
- --command-script <file_path>
- Path to a script file containing commands to execute
- Material options:
- -o, --point-sprites [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show sphere sprites instead of surfaces (default: false)
- --point-sprites-type <sphere|gaussian>
- Point sprites type (default: sphere)
- --point-sprites-size <size>
- Point sprites size (default: 10)
- --point-size <size>
- Point size when showing vertices, model specified by default
- --line-width <width>
- Line width when showing edges, model specified by default
- --backface-type <visible|hidden>
- Backface type, can be visible or hidden, model specified by default
- --color <color>
- Solid color
- --opacity <opacity>
- Opacity
- --roughness <roughness>
- Roughness coefficient (0.0-1.0)
- --metallic <metallic>
- Metallic coefficient (0.0-1.0)
- --base-ior <base-ior>
- Index Of Refraction of the base layer (1.0-2.5)
- --hdri-file <file path>
- Path to an image file that can be used as a light source and skybox
- -f, --hdri-ambient [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable HDRI ambient lighting (default: false)
- -j, --hdri-skybox [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable HDRI skybox background (default: false)
- --texture-matcap <file path>
- Path to a texture file containing a material capture
- --texture-base-color <file path>
- Path to a texture file that sets the color of the object
- --texture-material <file path>
- Path to a texture file that sets the Occlusion, Roughness and Metallic values of the object
- --texture-emissive <file path>
- Path to a texture file that sets the emitted light of the object
- --textures-transform <transform2d>
- 3x3 matrix to transform textures
- --emissive-factor <color>
- Emissive factor. This value is multiplied with the emissive color when an emissive texture is present
- --texture-normal <file path>
- Path to a texture file that sets the normal map of the object
- --normal-scale <normalScale>
- Normal scale affects the strength of the normal deviation from the normal texture
- Window options:
- --background-color <color>
- Background color (default: #333333)
- --resolution <width,height>
- Window resolution (default: 1000, 600)
- --position <x,y>
- Window position
- -z, --fps [=<bool>(=1)]
- Display rendering frame per second (default: false)
- -n, --filename [=<bool>(=1)]
- Display filename (default: false)
- -m, --metadata [=<bool>(=1)]
- Display file metadata (default: false)
- -u, --blur-background [=<bool>(=1)]
- Blur background (default: false)
- --blur-coc <value>
- Blur circle of confusion radius (default: 20)
- --light-intensity <value>
- Light intensity (default: 1)
- Scientific visualization options:
- -s, --scalar-coloring [=<bool>(=1)]
- Color by a scalar array (default: false)
- --coloring-array <array_name>
- Name of the array to color with
- -y, --coloring-component [=<comp_index>(=-2)]
- Component from the array to color with. -1 means magnitude, -2 or the short option, -y, means direct scalars (default: -1)
- -c, --coloring-by-cells [=<bool>(=1)]
- Use an array from the cells (default: false)
- --coloring-range <min,max>
- Custom range for the coloring by array, automatically computed by default
- -b, --coloring-scalar-bar [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show scalar bar (default: false)
- --colormap-file <filePath/filename/fileStem>
- Specify a colormap image
- --colormap-discretization <int>
- Specify number of colors in colormap
- --colormap <color_list>
- Specify a custom colormap (ignored if "colormap-file" is specified) (default: 0,#000000,0.4,0.9,0,0,0.8,0.9,0.9,0,1,#fffff f)
- -v, --volume [=<bool>(=1)]
- Show volume if the file is compatible (default: false)
- -i, --volume-inverse [=<bool>(=1)]
- Inverse opacity function for volume rendering (default: false)
- Camera options:
- --camera-position <X,Y,Z>
- Camera position (overrides camera direction and camera zoom factor if any)
- --camera-focal-point <X,Y,Z>
- Camera focal point
- --camera-view-up <direction>
- Camera view up
- --camera-view-angle <angle>
- Camera view angle (non-zero, in degrees) (default: 0.0)
- --camera-direction <direction>
- Camera direction
- --camera-zoom-factor <factor>
- Camera zoom factor (non-zero) (default: 0.0)
- --camera-azimuth-angle <angle>
- Camera azimuth angle (in degrees), performed after other camera options (default: 0.0)
- --camera-elevation-angle <angle>
- Camera elevation angle (in degrees), performed after other camera options (default: 0.0)
- --camera-orthographic [=<bool>(=1)]
- Use an orthographic camera
- PostFX (OpenGL) options:
- -p, --translucency-support [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable translucency support, implemented using depth peeling (default: false)
- -q, --ambient-occlusion [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable ambient occlusion providing approximate shadows for better depth perception, implemented using SSAO (default: false)
- -a, --anti-aliasing [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable anti-aliasing (default: false)
- --anti-aliasing-mode [=<string>(=fxaa)]
- Select anti-aliasing method ("fxaa" or "ssaa") (default: fxaa)
- -t, --tone-mapping [=<bool>(=1)]
- Enable Tone Mapping, providing balanced coloring (default: false)
- --final-shader <GLSL code>
- Execute the final shader at the end of the rendering pipeline
- Testing options:
- --reference <png file>
- Reference
- --reference-threshold <threshold>
- Testing threshold (default: 0.04)
- --interaction-test-record <file_path>
- Path to an interaction log file to record interactions events to
- --interaction-test-play <file_path>
- Path to an interaction log file to play interaction events from when loading a file
EXAMPLES¶
- f3d file.vtu -xtgans
- View a unstructured mesh in a typical nice looking sciviz style
- f3d file.glb -tuqap --hdri-file=file.hdr --hdri-ambient --hdri-skybox
- View a gltf file in a realistic environment
- f3d file.ply -so --point-size=0 --coloring-component=-2
- View a point cloud file with direct scalars rendering
- f3d folder
- View all files in folder
REPORTING BUGS¶
Report bugs to https://github.com/f3d-app/f3d/issues
F3D - A fast and minimalist 3D viewer
Version: 3.2.0.
Build date: 2025-11-16 11:47:09.
Build system: Linux 64-bits.
Compiler: GNU 15.2.0.
Module ImGui: ON.
Module OpenEXR: OFF.
Module Raytracing: OFF.
VTK version: 9.5.2.
Copyright © 2019-2021 Kitware SAS.
Copyright © 2021-2025 Michael Migliore, Mathieu Westphal.
License BSD-3-Clause.
| November 2025 | F3D 3.2.0 |