.AMF File Extension
Additive Manufacturing File
| Developer | American Society for Testing and Materials |
| Popularity |
4.0 | 7 Votes |
What is an AMF file?
An AMF file is an additive manufacturing file used by CAD programs to describe objects for 3D printing purposes. It contains one or more objects, which include the geometry, color, and material of the volumes that make up the object(s). AMF files also store the constellation (arrangement) of multiple objects and metadata that specifies the author, name, copyright, and special instructions for the object(s).
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Since the 1980s, the .STL format has been the industry standard for storing and transferring information between CAD programs and additive manufacturing tools. However, with the rise of 3D printing, more capable formats are needed to store and transfer all the necessary 3D object information for 3D printing. This need has led to the increased popularity of the .3MF and AMF formats.
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) developed and released the open AMF format in 2013. ASTM designed AMF to be a unifying solution for storing 3D object information, similar to the .PDF format for storing documents.
AMF stores information similarly to the XML standard and is simple, scalable, and backward and future compatible. The format uses triangle meshes to describe surfaces, whether curved or non-planar edges, on 3D surfaces. Colors are specified using RGBA (red, green, blue, and alpha channels) values.
You can export 3D object information to the AMF format using programs such as Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk applications. 3D printers that support the format include Materialise and Shapeways.
How to open an AMF file
You can view AMF files with various CAD applications, including Autodesk Fusion 360 (multiplatform), CNC Software Mastercam (Windows), and the free Autodesk Meshmixer (multiplatform) application.
How to convert an AMF file
Autodesk Fusion 360 and CNC Software Mastercam can convert an AMF file to various formats.
For example, Fusion 360 can convert AMF files to the following formats:
- .STP - STEP 3D Model
- .STL - Stereolithography File
- .3MF - 3D Manufacturing File
- .FBX - Autodesk FBX Interchange File
- .OBJ - Wavefront 3D Object File
- .IPT - Inventor Part
- .IAM - Inventor Assembly
- .SKP - SketchUp Document
- .SMT - Autodesk Shape Manager Text File
- .USDZ - Universal Scene Description Zipped Format
Programs that open AMF files
Asylum Music Format Audio File
| Developer | ORIGIN Systems |
| Popularity |
1.0 | 1 Vote |
An AMF file contains a song played in either the video game Crusader: No Remorse or Crusader: No Regret. It is saved in the Asylum Music Format, which is similar to the .MOD format. You can play AMF files in VideoLAN VLC media player.
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Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No Regret are third-person action games set in a dystopian future. They were developed by ORIGIN Systems and published by Electronic Arts in 1995 and 1996.
The MS-DOS versions of Crusader contain music saved as AMF files. Some players have extracted these files, so they can listen to the games' music outside the games.
How to open an AMF file
You can open and play an AMF file in VideoLAN VLC media player (cross-platform). You can also use VLC media player to convert AMF files to a more common audio format, such as .MP3.