3D File

What are 3D files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a 3D file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your 3D files.

What is a 3D file?

3D files have multiple uses, and CAD-3D object is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

CAD-3D object

3D files are files of three-dimensional objects created using CAD software. CAD pertains to computer-aided design or designing. A 3D file is the result of 3D modeling, a process in which surfaces of living or inanimate objects are drawn or represented in three-dimensions using computer software. 3D files store an object's appearance and geometry and are altered depending on its specific use.

Video games, visual effects, architectural designs, 3D printing, computer simulations, etc., commonly use 3D files. There is a lot of CAD software that can create and edit 3D files for various uses.

How to open 3D files

Important: Different programs may use files with the 3D file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your 3D file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different 3D openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 16, 2026

All known file formats using extension .3D

While CAD-3D object is a popular type of 3D-file, we know of 8 different uses of the .3D file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Cadwork 3D Project

Cadwork 3D Project files contain a complete three-dimensional building or timber/steel structure model used by the cadwork 3D application from Cadwork Informatik AG. These .3d files hold the design of structural volumes (walls, roofs, floors, panels, beams, etc.), connections, materials, and construction-specific details including openings and fasteners. They serve as the master file for designing, documenting, exporting CNC machine data, generating component drawings, and producing material takeoff lists.

The files are written and read by cadwork 3D. Older versions (through version 15 and earlier) stored project data in a proprietary sequential binary format. From version 16 onwards project data is stored in an internal SQL database for the cadwork 3D module, allowing more flexibility, data security, and runtime access. Version 30 SP2024 dropped support for automatic loss‐less import of older version 15 or earlier files.

These files may include many internal parts: geometric volumes defined via axes, attributes for modularisation (layer structures, components, connectors), metadata for BIM export (such as element grouping, property sets), view definitions for shop drawings, and detailed part-level data for CNC export. The application uses ACIS solid geometry kernel internally to model volumes, enabling operations like Boolean cuts, extrusions, and assemblies.

At the file format level, a Cadwork 3D project begins with a PK (ZIP archive) signature (bytes "PK" at offset 0) and contains a number of internal entries including CONTENT_3D.BBKPK, PROJECT.XMLPK (or PROJEKT.XMLPK), MULTILAYERWALLS, ACTIONMAP.TXTPK and various image and debug files. These contained file names are part of the internal archived structure that holds both geometry, layout, metadata and auxiliary resources.

Create+Shade 3D scene

3D files pertain to the file format of the Shade 3D software. Shade 3D is a 3D modeling software used in interior design, architecture, game development, 3D printing, video effects, animation, etc.

Shade 3D helps users create 3D models using high-performance computer systems. This process is called 3D modeling or rendering, and the output of this process is the .3D file.

Polyfilm 3D model

.3D files are created by the 3D modeling software called Polyfilm. Polyfilm is a 3D modeling software used to design various things like buildings and objects and is also used in animated films. 3D modeling is when a certain object is drawn with 3D dimensions using a software program. Polyfilm is an example of such a program.

VersaCAD 3D drawing

VersaCAD 3D, a 3D modeling software for computer systems, uses .3D files. The format is the output file of VersaCAD's 3D modeling process, creating mathematical representations of the surface and appearance of live or inanimate objects using computers.

VersaCAD 3D is essential to design and development processes for various fields like engineering, architecture, education, interior design, etc.

VersaCAD 3D has been around since the 1980s, a product developed by Tom and Mike Lazear.

Vertex Binary 3D Object

Vertex Binary 3D Object files (.3D) store 3D model data created for the Amiga-platform modeler called Vertex by The Art Machine. They contain the full geometric, surface, color, and reflection information needed to represent solid models for rendering or further editing within the Vertex tool.

The program Vertex writes these files when you save a model. They typically contain vertex positions, faces (polygons), edges, surface colors, reflection and transparency attributes, normals, local coordinate axes, high/low resolution levels, and what viewpoint orientation is "handed" (i.e. left or right). Users of Vertex open these files for viewing, editing, transforming or exporting to other formats.

Internally the file begins with the ASCII signature FORM at offset 0, followed by 3DDDOBJE at offset 8. It includes chunks identified by keywords like VERT for vertices, FACE, EDGE, LOCA (locations or axes), COLR (color), REFL (reflection), TRAN (transparency), AXIS, HIGH, HAND, ATTR (attributes), among others.

WGT 3D Model

The WGT 3D Model format is a binary file format used by the WordUp Graphics Toolkit, a graphics programming library for DOS and DOS-compatible systems that provides routines for working with 3D objects among its other capabilities. Files in this format store the definitions of 3D models - such as vertex positions, polygons (faces), texture mapping data, and optional material or color attributes - so that programs using the toolkit can load and render those models in real time.

Creators build .3D files using the WordUp Graphics Toolkit (often version 5.1 or earlier), typically within a game or graphics-application development process written in C or C++. Once a 3D model is saved in the .3D format, it is later loaded by programs using WGT routines that interpret the stored geometry and rendering information to draw the object with applied textures, lighting, and shading.

The format begins with a distinctive ASCII header: at byte offset 0 the sequence "WGT3DObjectFile" appears. This signature identifies the file as a WordUp Graphics Toolkit 3D Model file.

XCar 3D Model

We know that one 3D format is XCar 3D Model. We have not yet analyzed in detail what these files contain and what they are used for. We're working on it.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of 3D files. Remember, different programs may use 3D files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about 3D file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.