3MF is the modern successor to STL, designed by the 3MF Consortium (Microsoft, HP, Autodesk, Bambu Lab, Prusa, Ultimaker). Zip-packaged XML carries mesh geometry, materials, color info, slicer settings, and multi-object scenes, everything STL lacks. Bambu Lab and Prusa have adopted 3MF as their preferred format; many MakerWorld and Printables downloads now ship as 3MF only.
How to open
PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, Cura, Simplify3D, all modern slicers. Microsoft 3D Viewer (Windows), Apple Preview (macOS Sonoma+).