Read XCAF for PLY output
A XCAF-to-PLY workflow connects the XCAF reader to the PLY writer. Select the model items and output representation needed by the receiving application.
Read the native XCAF document with the OCCT storage interface matching its file type. Inspect document shapes, assembly occurrences and attributes before selecting the part of the document to exchange.
Select the polygon data required by the PLY consumer
Choose BRep or mesh geometry according to the actual shapes in the document and the destination. Resolve assembly placements and map supported names and colors. Native document storage can contain application information that another CAD or scene format does not represent.
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
Check occurrence placement separately from shared part geometry. Validate transferred labels and attributes, and keep the source XCAF document when application-specific data or edit structure needs to be retained.
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.