|
Home > RP File Format
The RP file format is an efficient and secure file format created by the OpenRP initiative.
The RP file format is the backbone of the OpenRP Solution to the data
exchange problem of the RP industry.
The RP industry uses the STL (Stereolithography) file format as the
standard means of data exchange. There are two main problems with the STL
file format:
(1) Large File Size
The STL file format employs inefficient methods of data storage. This
coupled with storage of redundant data greatly increases the size of the
STL file, thereby causing problems in transmitting data, especially
through the internet. Large STL files result in a waste of resources such
as storage space, bandwidth and most important - time.
(2) No Security
The STL file format does not have any inbuilt security mechanism. A STL
file is usually created from a NURBS model, to be shared with another
party. At the time when the STL file format was created, proliferation of
STL models was not considered an issue as it was considered impossible to
extract the underlying NURBS model from its STL file. Not any more. In
these days of excellent reverse engineering software, proliferation of
STL files can amount to immeasurable losses to business. Moreover, RP
service bureaus store STL files on their servers as part of their online
quoting systems. This leaves valuable STL data vulnerable to theft from
hackers and the like.
The OpenRP Solution attempts to solve these two problems.
Solution to the size problem
A RP file is created from a STL file (ASCII or binary) and contains
exactly the same geometric data as that of the STL file. The data in a RP file
is compressed using advanced compression algorithms. This reduces
the file size considerably. When compared to its ASCII STL counterpart, a RP
file is compressed to a whooping 97%. In case of a binary STL file the
compression is 90%. In either case, the compression in a RP file is much
more than that achieved if the STL file was zipped using WinZip or any
other similar compression program.
Solution to the security problem
The RP file format has two levels of security: file and user level. At the
file level, the RP file is encrypted using the most advanced encryption
algorithms. At the user level, security is provided by means of an
optional user-defined password. So if a STL file does reach the wrong
hands, it will be useless unless the password is known.
Note: There is absolutely no loss of data whatsoever due to compression
and encryption involved in the RP file format. If you create a RP file
from a STL file and then convert it back to a STL file, you will end up
with exactly the same STL file.
|
