File Types Dictionary
The file types supported in BricsCAD® are:
| CAD Formats | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FBX binary file | FBX | Mudbox format used to send 3D models to animation and rendering software; binary format creates compact files maintained by Autodesk; see the FBXEXPORT command. |
| FBX ASCII file | FBX | Mudbox format used to send 3D models to animation and rendering software; ASCII format creates human-readable files. |
| AutoCAD Drawing | DWG | CAD drawing format created by Autodesk; to export drawings in an earlier version of DWG, use the SAVEAS command. |
| AutoCAD ASCII DXF | DXF | Drawing interchange format created by Autodesk; to create binary DXF files, use the DXFOUT command. |
| Drawing Template | DWT | Templates on which new drawings are based. |
| 3D DWF |
DWF or DWFx |
CAD viewing format for 3D models created by Autodesk. |
| Binary DWF | DWF | Compressed version of DWF; creates more compact files. |
| Zipped ASCII Encoded 2D Stream DWF v6.0 | DWF | ASCII version of DWF compressed into a ZIP file. |
| Compressed DWF v5.5 | DWF | Compressed ASCII version of an older version of DWF; creates more compact files. |
| Binary DWF v5.5 | DWF | Compressed version of an older version of DWF; creates more compact files. |
| ASCII DWF v5.5 | DWF | ASCII version of an older version of DWF. |
| IFC file | IFC | Saves a BIM model as an IFC file to use with an IFC-certified
applications data. BIM properties are included in the IFC
export. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) data model is intended to describe building and construction industry. |
| Unreal Engine | UDATASMITH | Exports BIM data to the Unreal Engine file type, which can be imported in the Twinmotion 3D architectural visualization program. |
| MicroStation DGN File | DGN | Microstation design files. |
| SketchUp file | SKP | SketchUp model files are imported as meshes. If desired, the CONVTOSOLID and CONVTOMESH commands provide easy conversion between meshes and solids. |
| Standards File | DWS | Drawing standards file, used by the STANDARDS and CHECKSTANDARDS commands. |
| Vector Formats | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Meta File* | WMF | Vector format created by Microsoft; used by the Clipboard; see the WMFOUT command. |
| Enhanced Windows Meta File* | EMF | Updated version of WMF. |
| Scalable Vector Graphics | SVG | Used by Web pages to display vector graphics. Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a family of specifications of an XML-based file format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and dynamic (e.g.. interactive or animated). The SVG specification is an open standard that has been under development by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) since 1999. |
| Lithography | STL | 3D format used by 3D printers. STL (STereoLithography) is a file format native to the stereolithography CAD software created by 3D Systems. STL is widely used for rapid prototyping and computer-aided manufacturing. STL files describe only the surface geometry of a three dimensional object without any representation of color, texture or other common CAD model attributes. The STL format specifies both ASCII and binary representations. Binary files are more common, since they are more compact. See also the STLOUT command. |
| Collada file | DAE |
3D format used by rendering and animation software. COLLADA (from collaborative design activity) is an interchange file format for interactive 3D applications. It is managed by the nonprofit technology consortium, the Khronos Group, and has been adopted by ISO as a publicly available specification, ISO/PAS 17506. |
| Slide File | SLD | Proprietary graphics format created by Autodesk for saving screen grabs of viewports. |
| 3D PDF** | Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to represent documents, independently from application software, hardware, and operating system. |
| HTML Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| HTML | HTM | Hyper Text Markup Language format files are opened in a Web browser. The VMLOUT command exports drawings to VML (short for vector markup language) embedded in a HTML file. |
| Wavefront Object file | OBJ | A text file format which contains 3D graphic information such as vertices, normals, polygonal faces and 3D coordinates. Optionally, an .obj file can refer to a material (.mtl) file (which is also a text file) and the latter can refer to image or texture (.jpg/.png/.bmp) files. |
| Raster Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bitmap* | BMP | Raster format created by Microsoft; used by the Clipboard. |
(*) The PICTUREEXPORTSCALE system variable sets the view size when exporting to picture formats (WMF, EMF, BMP).
(**) If the EXPORT3DPDFWRITER system variable is set to 1 - Internal 3D PDF writer, it is possible to export Mechanical Structure or exploded-view Animation.
The file types supported in Communicator are:
| Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Standard for Exchange of Product data | STE, STP, STEP, STPZ | STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product Data) is an ISO standard exchange format used for representing three-dimensional data in a format that can be recognized by multiple programs. |
| Initial Graphics Exchange Specification | IGS, IGES | A file format which defines a vendor neutral data format that allows the digital exchange of information among Computer-aided design (CAD) systems. |
| CATIA V4 | model | CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) is a multi-platform CAD/CAM/CAE commercial software suite developed by the French company Dassault Systèmes. |
| CATIA V5/V6 | CATPart, CATProduct, CGR | V5/V6 of the Catia CAD program from Dassault. |
| Parasolid |
XMT_TXT, XMT_BIN X_T, X_B |
Parasolid is a geometric modeling kernel originally developed by ShapeData, now owned by Siemens PLM Software (formerly UGS Corp.), that can be licensed by other companies for use in their 3D computer graphics software products. |
| VDA-FS | VDA | VDA-FS is a CAD data exchange format for the transfer of surface models from one CAD system to another. Its name is an abbreviation of Verband der Automobilindustrie - Flächenschnittstelle, which translates to the automotive industry association - surface data interface. The standard was specified by the German organization VDA. |
| Autodesk Inventor | IAM, IPT |
Autodesk Inventor, developed by U.S.-based software company Autodesk, is 3D mechanical CAD design software for creating 3D digital prototypes used in the design, visualization and simulation of products. Inventor uses specific file formats for parts (IPT) and assemblies (IAM). |
| Siemens | JT | JT is a 3D data format developed by Siemens PLM Software (formerly UGS Corp.) and is used for product visualization, collaboration, and CAD data exchange. It can contain any combination of approximate (faceted) data, boundary representation surfaces (NURBS), Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI), and Metadata (textual attributes) either exported from the native CAD system or inserted by a product data management (PDM) system. |
| Solid Edge | PAR, PSM | Solid Edge is a 3D CAD parametric feature solid modeling software. which provides solid modeling, assembly modeling and drafting functionality. |
| NX | PRT | PRT is a part or model file format used by PTC Pro/Engineer, which is a CAD program that creates design parts and assembly processes. |
|
Creo Elements Pro Engineer |
ASM, PRT | Parametric, integrated 3D CAD/CAM/CAE solution created by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC). |
| Solidworks | SLDASM, SLDPRT |
SolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD program that runs on Microsoft Windows and is being developed by Dassault Systèmes. SLDPRT: part file, SLDASM: assembly file The ImportSolidWorksRotateYZ system variable controls if geometry imported from SolidWorks files should be automatically rotated to map Y axis to Z axis. |
| 3D PDF* | Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to represent documents, independently from application software, hardware, and operating system. | |
| ACIS | .asab, .asat, .sab, .sat | The 3D ACIS Modeler (ACIS) is a geometric modeling kernel developed by Spatial Corporation. |
| XCGM | .xcgm | Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) File Format Family |