BDF File

What are BDF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BDF 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 BDF files.

What is a BDF file?

BDF files have multiple uses, and BCAD Drawing is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

BCAD Drawing

BCAD Drawing files store the internal data for drawings created with bCAD, a CAD (computer-aided design) software made by ProPro Group, Inc. for DOS and later Windows. These files contain the complete geometry, layers or divisions, and scene setup so that a bCAD user can save, close, and later reopen a drawing in exactly the same state.

These files are written by bCAD itself using its native data format, often called "bCAD Data Format" or abbreviated "BDF." The program's Save or Save As commands produce them. Users can also save portions of drawings as blocks in a related but different file type. When re-opening, bCAD reads the file, reconstructs layers or "sections," and restores all drawing entities as stored.

How to open BDF files

Important: Different programs may use files with the BDF file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your BDF 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 BDF openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 23, 2026

All known file formats using extension .BDF

While BCAD Drawing is a popular type of BDF-file, we know of 5 different uses of the .BDF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Brother Embroidery File

These BDF files contain the artwork/images used in an embroidery machine, a machine used to create textiles patterns. You can load or scan images you want to use in your embroidery design. You can take images from CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator, two software types used to edit photos, and convert them to an embroidery design.

Glyph Bitmap Distribution Format font

These BDF files contain the bitmap fonts used in Adobe, software for creating, editing, and publishing technical content. BDF files are text files that humans and computers can read. BDF gets split into three sections, a global section that applies to all glyphs in the font, a section with a separate entry for each glyph, and an end font system.

Quartus Block Design File

A Quartus Block Design File stores a schematic diagram (block/symbol-based design) created using Intel's (formerly Altera) Quartus Prime software. It is used during digital hardware design for FPGAs: the file defines blocks, symbols, ports, and graphical interconnections instead of writing out logic in text-based HDLs (Hardware Description Languages).

This file is generated and maintained by Quartus's Block Editor. Engineers build designs by placing logic elements, custom symbols, input/output pins, constants and wires in a visual layout, then save them in this format so Intel Quartus can analyze, synthesize, map, and fit the design for a target device. Designs established using this file can be converted into Verilog or VHDL text representations so downstream flow tools can process them - especially since newer Quartus Prime Pro versions (from version 23.3 onward) no longer support synthesizing these files directly and require conversion to HDL.

Earlier Quartus versions (such as Quartus II) fully supported using this schematic file format as a primary entry method for project logic design. These files support instancing HDL subdesigns via symbols, specifying parameters, generics or constants, defining input/output ports, wiring between symbols, and creating hierarchical or top-level entities.

Block Design File format can be identified internally by specific textual signatures. The file begins at offset 0 with the two ASCII characters "/*", and contains strings such as "DO NOT EDIT THE INPUT AND OUTPUT PORTS IN THIS FILE IN A TEXT", "COPYRIGHT (C) 1991", "THE BLOCK EDITOR", "(VERSION", "(HEADER", "GRAPHIC", and "WARNING FORMAT".

Supreme Commander Map

We know that one BDF format is Supreme Commander Map. 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 BDF files. Remember, different programs may use BDF 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 BDF file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.