Read 3DS for PLY output
A 3DS-to-PLY workflow connects the 3DS reader to the PLY writer. Select the model items and output representation needed by the receiving application.
Read the 3DS mesh asset and inspect its object organization and material references. Select the source objects needed by the engineering application.
Select the polygon data required by the PLY consumer
The Assimp integration provides mesh geometry, colors, materials and scene structure for its supported inputs. Pass that data to a separate OCCT or commercial writer. For STEP, STEP XML or DXF output, use the mesh-capable representation; this does not reconstruct BRep surfaces from polygons.
Write a polygonal derivative with the OCCT PLY interface. Agree on the mesh and property fields needed by the consumer: the PLY extension alone does not guarantee compatible color or other per-element property handling. Keep assembly and CAD metadata separately when it has no destination mapping.
Check the PLY result
Compare object placement and supported material assignments. Keep companion resources with the input and check the scale expected by the receiving tool.
Reopen the PLY in the downstream processing tool and compare units, bounds, surface coverage and the expected properties. Native PLY support in the catalog is write-only; this route does not imply a native PLY reader for the reverse direction.
Discuss this conversion with the producing and receiving applications, representative files and required geometry and attributes. Compare the reader/writer catalog when a different representation is needed.