CKD File

What are CKD files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a CKD 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 CKD files.

What is a CKD file?

CKD files have multiple uses, and Cadkey Design is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Cadkey Design

These CKD files contain the 2D and 3D designs created in Cadkey, a 2D/3D mechanical CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software. With CKD files, you can manage your CAD data, and you don't have to stick to one strategy. You can have separate files for different parts of your assembly, meaning you can revise each part/section individually.

How to open CKD files

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

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

Last updated: August 31, 2026

All known file formats using extension .CKD

While Cadkey Design is a popular type of CKD-file, we know of 4 different uses of the .CKD file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

CheckIt Pro Data

CheckIt Pro Data files store the diagnostic results collected by CheckIt Pro, a computer hardware diagnostic program made by TouchStone Software Corporation in the early 1990s. These files serve as binary records of system tests run under MS-DOS, including hardware component statuses, configuration settings, and performance metrics. They enable users to save a snapshot of test outcomes so that test results can be reviewed later or compared to results from subsequent tests.

CheckIt Pro writes these data files during or after a full diagnostic run or when saving a system "report" via its menu interface. The files remain in the same DOS environment in which CheckIt Pro runs and are not intended for editing; instead they are typically loaded back into CheckIt Pro for viewing, generating a report, or printing. These data snapshots are often used to track changes in system behavior over time or to document hardware failures.

The internal structure begins with an ASCII header signature at the very start of the file. Bytes 0x436865636BFB49742050524F20446174612046696C650D0A correspond to the text "Check.ItPROData File" followed by a carriage return and line feed. This signature is used by CheckIt Pro to recognize its own data files before parsing the rest of the saved diagnostic content.

KeyCreator Design File

KeyCreator Design files are native design files produced by Kubotek's KeyCreator CAD application. They store the complete contents of a project, which may include one or more 2D drawings, 3D models or assemblies, toolpaths, surface and solid geometry, construction entities like wireframes, dimensions, and layout information. KeyCreator is a direct-modeling CAD tool used for mechanical and industrial design. These files are used to save ongoing work so that all geometry and layout context remain editable within the KeyCreator environment.

KeyCreator produces these files when a user saves a project in either Model or Layout mode. The files can later be reopened for modification, extended, exported to other formats (such as PDF, STL, OBJ, DXF, JPG, GIF, TIF), or incorporated into assemblies. In KeyCreator's history, the format evolved from earlier part files (.PRT) and pattern files (.PTN) inherited from its predecessor CADKEY. As of KeyCreator 2024, .CKD remains the default extension for design files unless another extension is chosen.

Internally, these files are based on the Microsoft Compound File format (also called Compound Document File or OLE2 compound document), which begins with the byte signature D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 at offset zero. They also contain characteristic Unicode strings at fixed offsets such as "Root Entry", "Contents", "Summary Information", "KeyCreator", "Environment", "Background", "CADlVars", "Database", "Part", among others.

UbiArt Framework Cooked Asset

UbiArt Framework Cooked Asset files are binary data packages produced by the UbiArt engine when preparing (or "cooking") game-assets for final release. They replace human-readable editor files (such as Lua scripts or scene data) with serialized, optimized versions that the game engine loads at runtime for better performance.

These assets are created during the build or packaging stage of UbiArt games. Original assets made for editing, often plain text or loosely structured, are processed into compact binary forms. In the game, these cooked assets are deserialized back into runtime objects - graphics, animations, scene layouts, etc. - for rendering, physics, or gameplay.

A Cooked Asset file starts with a byte-signature consisting of the sequence of bytes Value 0x00000014000000 at the very beginning of the file (offset 0) to help identify the format.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of CKD files. Remember, different programs may use CKD 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 CKD file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.