BVH File

What are BVH files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BVH 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 BVH files.

What is a BVH file?

A .BVH file is a Biovision Hierarchy Character Animation Format file.

Biovision Hierarchy character animation format is a text‐based specification created by Biovision for recording motion capture data that describes how a skeleton moves over time. It is used to store both a description of the skeleton's structure (bones or joints and how they are connected) and per‐frame motion data (rotations and, for the root joint, translations) drawn from motion capture or animation tools. The format is often employed by 3D animation software for retargeting motion onto humanoid skeleton rigged characters.

Files in this format are typically produced by motion capture systems or authored in animation tools, then exported for use in animation pipelines or for playback in real-time character animation. When imported, the skeleton hierarchy defines parent‐child relationships of joints, with each joint's position relative to its parent (its offset) and specified channels that determine which transformations are supplied during motion: for example the root joint usually has both translation (Xposition, Yposition, Zposition) and rotation (Xrotation, Yrotation, Zrotation) channels, while other joints generally have only rotation channels. The motion section follows the hierarchy and lists frame count, frame time (duration of each frame), and a sequence of channel values for each frame in the same order as defined by the hierarchy.

As identifiers, files begin with the ASCII keyword HIERARCHY at the start of the file, and include other keywords such as ROOT, JOINT, End Site, OFFSET, CHANNELS, MOTION, Frames, Frame Time, followed by channel names like Xposition, Yposition, Zposition, Xrotation, Yrotation, Zrotation. The joint labels often include names like HIP, HEAD, NECK, L (for left) joints, R (for right) joints, to correspond to body parts.

How to open BVH files

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

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

Last updated: August 25, 2026

Various apps that use files with this extension

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

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