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For modern real-time and web use, glTF has largely superseded COLLADA because it is compact and binary-friendly.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.
How to open 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. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to open a .dae file.
Windows
- Blender
- SketchUp
- Windows 3D Viewer
macOS
- Blender
- Preview
- SketchUp
Linux
- Blender
- MeshLab
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.
.dae file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .dae file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for COLLADA.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3C 3F 78 6D 6C | 0 | '<?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
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: