Stanford PLY Format File Reader and Visualizer

This documentation presents a MATLAB program designed for reading and visualizing Stanford PLY format files. The program has been rigorously tested and is production-ready. To better understand its capabilities, let's examine its key features and implementation details. The program efficiently parses PLY files using structured data parsing algorithms, allowing users to seamlessly access vertex and face data through optimized array handling. It features an intuitive visualization interface utilizing MATLAB's built-in plotting functions (patch and plot3) for clear 3D model representation. The implementation includes customizable display parameters such as vertex coloring, face transparency, and camera controls through MATLAB's graphics handle system. Furthermore, the modular code architecture enables easy customization - users can modify parsing routines, add custom filters, or integrate additional visualization features through well-defined function interfaces. The core functionality revolves around PLY header parsing, binary/ASCII format detection, and efficient memory management for handling large point cloud datasets. This tool serves as an essential utility for researchers and developers working with 3D point cloud data and mesh processing applications.