File Formats

Overview

HOOPS Exchange allows you to read and write a wide variety of file formats without needing to license any additional technology. You work through a standard interface, so once you complete an integration, you have access to the large number of formats supported by HOOPS Exchange and can easily access newly supported formats as well as updates to existing versions.

The writers are often used by developers to speed the development of integrating the HOOPS Exchange technology into their application. For example, if you are a Parasolid or ACIS based application you can use our XT or SAT export to export the B-rep definition of the model.

Below we detail the specific capabilities of each reader and writer in addition to detailing any other relevant features and limitations.

HOOPS Exchange File Readers

The data supported by the HOOPS Exchange readers can be broken down into six primary categories:


Version support

While reading CAD data, HOOPS Exchange identifies the format and version. If the version is not supported by out reader, the associated error code is sent back:

As of version 2019, this functionality is available with below formats:

Detailed information for each file type can be found by clicking the name of the file format in the table below.


Format Version Extensions Supported Platforms Tess1 BREP  PMI 
3MF 1.2.3 3MF Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
ACIS Up to 2020 SAT, SAB Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
Autodesk 3DS Any 3DS Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
Autodesk DWF Any DWF, DWFX Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: No Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
Autodesk Inventor Up to 2021 IPT, IAM Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
CATIA V4 Up to 4.2.5 MODEL, SESSION, DLV, EXP Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
CATIA V5  Up to V5_6R2021 CATDrawing, CATPart, CATProduct, CATShape, CGR Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
CATIA V6 / 3DExperience Up to V5-6 R2019 (R29) 3DXML Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
COLLADA Any DAE Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
AutoCAD - 2D  Up to DWG 2018 (RealDWG 2021) DWG, DXF Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: No Android: Yes iOS: No Supported Unsupported Supported
AutoCAD - 3D  Up to AutoCAD 2019 DWG, DXF Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: No Android: Yes iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
Creo - Pro/E Pro/Engineer 19.0 to Creo 7.0 ASM, NEU, PRT, XAS, XPR Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
FBX 8 ASCII: from 7100 to 7400 FBX Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
GL Transmission Format Version 2.0 only GLTF, GLB Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
I-deas Up to 13.x (NX 5), NX I-deas 6 MF1, ARC, UNV, PKG Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
IFC IFC2x Editions 2, 3 and 4 IFC, IFCZIP Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Unsupported
IGES 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 IGS, IGES Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Unsupported
JT Up to v10.5 JT Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Supported
NX - Unigraphics V11.0 to NX 12.0 and 1953 PRT Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
Parasolid Up to 33
X_B, X_T, XMT, XMT_TXT Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Unsupported
PDF All Versions PDF Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Supported
PRC All Versions PRC Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Supported
Revit 2 2015 to 2021
RVT, RFA Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: No Android: No iOS: No 64-bit only Supported Unsupported Unsupported
Rhino3D From 4 to 7 3DM Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
Solid Edge V19 - 20, ST - ST10, 2021
ASM, PAR, PWD, PSM Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
SolidWorks 3 From 97 up to 2021 SLDASM, SLDPRT Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
STEP AP 203 E1/E2, AP 214, AP 242 STP, STEP, STPZ Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Supported
STEP/XML Any STPX, STPXZ Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Supported Supported
Stereo Lithography (STL) All Versions STL Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
U3D ECMA-363
(1st, 2nd and 3rd editions)
U3D Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: Yes iOS: Yes Supported Unsupported Unsupported
VDA-FS Version 1.0 and 2.0 VDA Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Unsupported
VRML V1.0 and V2.0 WRL, VRML Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
Wavefront OBJ Any OBJ Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported

HOOPS Exchange File Writers

HOOPS Exchange includes a number of writers. These writers are used to either implement export capabilities within an application or to facilitate the quick integration of HOOPS Exchange readers into an application. In this second case developers often have a model converted to ACIS, Parasolid or STEP and then import that data into their system. This allows developers to easily get the B-rep model definition into their system. When you are exporting the data HOOPS Exchange often has to translate or modify the data in order to adapt the data to the geometrical model of the destination system. The modifications that occur are detailed in the format specific document.

The information for each type of file is reviewed in the page specific to the corresponding writer. For a brief summary of the capabilities of each writer, see the supported file formats table, below.


Format Version Extensions Supported Platforms Tess B-rep PMI
3MF 1.2.3 3MF Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
ACIS 5.0 SAT, SAB Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Unsupported Supported Unsupported
IGES 5.1 IGS, IGES Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: Yes Unsupported Supported Unsupported
FBX 7400, ASCII or Binary FBX Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
GLTF 2.0 GLTF, GLB Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
JT 4 8.1, 9.5, 10.0 JT Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
Parasolid 5,6 12.1 X_T Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: Yes Supported Supported Unsupported
PRC Latest PRC Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Supported Supported
STEP 7 AP 203 E2, AP 214 E1, AP 242 E1 STP, STEP, STPZ Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: Yes Supported Supported Unsupported
Stereo Lithography (STL) Any STL Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
U3D ECMA-363
(1st and 3rd editions)
U3D Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
VRML 1.0 and 2.0 VRML Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported
Wavefront OBJ Any OBJ Windows: Yes Linux: Yes macOS: Yes Android: No iOS: No Supported Unsupported Unsupported

Legend

  • = supported
  • = partial or variable support
  • = unsupported
  • = this concept is not supported by this format
  • = this file format provides tessellation data1
  • /: Windows
  • /: Linux
  • /: macOS
  • /: Android
  • /: iOS
  • : 64-bit only

Footnotes

  1.  HOOPS Exchange reads tessellation data from certain file formats such as SolidWorks, CATIA V5, and Autodesk Inventor. For file formats that don't contain tessellation data, HOOPS Exchange will calculate the tessellation/visualization data. Details on how HOOPS Exchange generates visualization data is included in the Visualization section on the page of each individual file format.
  2.  Revit support is only for 64-bit architectures.
  3.  Our SolidWorks PMI reader is limited. See SolidWorks format notes for details.
  4.  Our JT writer supports JT 8.1, 9.5 and 10.
  5.  Exporting tessellation data is only possible using the Parasolid bridge.
  6.  Parasolid bridge is not available on macOS.
  7.  Our STEP writer supports AP203, AP214, and AP242. STPZ export is only available in the AP242 format.
  8.  FBX-DOM files are unsupported.

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