What is a .dae file?
COLLADA Digital Asset Exchange · 3D model · Khronos Group · 2004
A .dae file is COLLADA, an open XML format for exchanging 3D assets between tools. It stores geometry, materials, textures, rigs and animation in human-readable XML.
What is a .dae file used for?
Being XML, a COLLADA file is text you can open in an editor, which aids debugging. It was a popular interchange format and is still used by SketchUp, older AR pipelines and many converters.
For modern real-time and web use, glTF has largely superseded COLLADA because it is compact and binary-friendly. Blender and most 3D tools import and export .dae.
What opens a .dae file?
The .dae format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Blender
- SketchUp
- Windows 3D Viewer
macOS
- Blender
- Preview
- SketchUp
Linux
- Blender
- MeshLab
Open a .dae file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .dae. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Blender or SketchUp.
- On Mac, use Blender or Preview.
- On Linux, try Blender or MeshLab.
- Still stuck? Convert the .dae to gltf, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .dae file?
Almost always because no installed app understands COLLADA. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .dae at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .dae file
You can convert a .dae file to gltf, fbx, obj using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .dae file signature (magic bytes)?
A .dae file starts with the hex bytes 3C 3F 78 6D 6C, which read as <?xml in ASCII. Programs identify COLLADA by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for COLLADA. For a full breakdown, see the XML file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3C 3F 78 6D 6C | 0 | <?xml | '<?xml' (COLLADA is XML) |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .dae file?
A .dae file is COLLADA, an open XML format for exchanging 3D assets between tools. It stores geometry, materials, textures, rigs and animation in human-readable XML.
How do I open a .dae file?
Import it into Blender or SketchUp, or view it in the Windows 3D Viewer or macOS Preview. Being XML, it also opens in a text editor.
What is the difference between COLLADA and glTF?
Both exchange 3D scenes. COLLADA is older, verbose XML; glTF is a compact modern format built for real-time and the web, and is now preferred.
How do I convert .dae to glTF?
Import the .dae into Blender and export as glTF (.glb/.gltf), or use a command-line converter such as the COLLADA2GLTF tool.
Related formats
Sources
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