The purpose of different file formats is to store data to represent a digital asset, like a 3D model, text, or video. There are many formats out there and, while they often overlap, the differences lie in the types of data they store and how they store it.
As the digital world has expanded in its capabilities, so has the list of file formats. That’s because, for every new type of data created through digital tools, a new (or updated) file format needs to be developed to store the data. Most formats store multiple data types, usually pertaining to a certain field, application, or industry.
Blender is an open-source, all-in-one digital graphics program meant for numerous applications, including 3D modeling and animation. There are many different file formats in the fields that Blender specializes in, but like all digital programs, Blender only supports certain formats.
Blender and other programs can’t simply import and export any format because each format has to be properly defined, programmed, and integrated into the software to be supported. Within the wide scope of formats available, generally, only files relevant to the intended use of the software are supported. For example, you wouldn’t be uploading a Word document into Blender, so it makes sense that this format isn’t supported.
Still, a program’s supported formats are an important characteristic, especially for one as versatile as Blender. In this article, we’ll go over the list of file formats officially supported by Blender, as well as what formats you can import or export via other means, such as community-developed add-ons.
Natively Supported Formats
To appeal to hobbyists, professionals, and businesses in the fields of animation and design, Blender offers official support for a good number of popular file formats. Below, we’ve listed the natively supported file formats, by which we mean that when you install Blender for the first time, these are the formats that are immediately available without any changes.
- Blender (.blend): The Blend format is Blender’s own file format. Blend files can only be opened in Blender and can handle virtually all Blender-supported data like lighting, viewpoints, and color. This makes the Blend format great for importing projects into Blender without any loss of data (unlike some file formats that can lose color and texture, for example). To open this format, just click “File > Open” and choose your Blend file.
- Collada (.dae): You can import and export Collada files in Blender to work with multiple 3D models in one file. To open this format, as well as all of the formats below (not Blend), click “File > Import”, choose your desired format, and then select your file.
- Alembic (.abc): You can import and export Alembic files into Blender to work with complex models and animations.
- Universal Scene Description (.usd, .usdc, .usda): You can export Universal Scene Description files into Blender to create and adjust scenes for animations.
- BioVision Motion Capture (.bvh): You can import and export Motion Capture files into Blender to work with motion capture graphics and animations.
- Scalable Vector Graphics 1.1 (.svg): You can import SVG files into Blender to edit drawings and other 2D graphics.
- Stanford Polygon (.ply): You can import and export Stanford Polygon files into Blender to work with the results of a 3D scanned object.
- Stereolithography (.stl): You can import and export STL models into Blender to make and edit 3D models for applications like 3D printing (though you’ll still need a slicer to prepare it for printing).
- Filmbox (.fbx): You can import and export Filmbox models into Blender to make animations with 3D models that contain special effects, like texture and fog.
- gITF 2.0 (.glb, .gltf): You can import and export gITF 2.0 files into Blender to work with 3D scenes involving 3D models.
- Wavefront (.obj): You can import and export OBJ models into Blender to make 3D models for applications like video game design.
Official Add-Ons
Next up are the additional formats that you can enable support for through Blender’s official add-ons. To do this, follow the instructions below to locate and activate them:
- With Blender open, click “Edit” in the top left corner of the page.
- Select “Preferences” from the drop-down menu.
- On the pop-up page, scroll down the menu on the left side of the screen and choose “Add-ons”.
- Check that the “Official” tab across the top of the page is the only tab selected.
- Scroll down the list of the official add-ons and find the unselected add-ons that start with “Import-Export”.
These official add-ons have been validated by Blender and should work with no issues.
- Lightwave Point Cache (.mdd): You can import and export Lightwave Point Cache files into Blender to work with certain types of 3D models and drawings.
- Camera Animations (.py): You can export animation data concerning the camera and markers from Blender to move it to another animation platform (if it supports importing this format).
- Images as Planes (common image and video formats, including .jpg .png, .tiff, .bmp): You can import images as planes into Blender to edit and work with 2D images without having to convert them to another format.
Community Add-Ons
While Blender officially supports a decent number of formats for a few applications, there are even more file formats that Blender can support through unofficial, community-developed add-ons. As Blender is an open-source program, the source code for the program is available to everyone, and users can create their own add-ons to further enhance the program.
You can find and activate these unofficial add-ons by selecting the “Community” tab in the”Add-ons” section. While it’s up to you what “Import-Export” add-ons you activate in Blender, there’s not a significant downside of activating all of them, so you have the option to work with other formats. Below, we’ve listed the other formats that Blender supports through these third-party add-ons:
- Atomic Blender Protein Data Base and XYZ (.xyz, .pdb): You can import and export PDB and XYZ files into Blender to make chemically accurate 3D models of atoms.
- Paper Model (.pdf, .svg): You can export paper models from Blender to save your graphics in a 2D form if you can’t use a 3D form of your creations.
- AutoCAD DXF (.dxf): You can import and export AutoCAD DXF drawings from Blender to make 2D or 3D drawings. Just make sure to activate both add-ons (there’s one for importing and one for exporting).
- Pointcache (.pc2): You can export Pointcache files from Blender to store them for use on another platform (if it supports importing them).
- BrushSet folder (folder of images): You can import a BrushSet, which involves importing a folder full of compatible images, to access new tools.
- Palettes (.kpl, .ase): You can import palette files into Blender to access new tools.
- Nuke Animation format (.chan): You can import and export Nuke Animation files into Blender to store camera-related data, including positioning, rotation, and more.
- Web3D X3D/VRL2 (.x3d, .wrl): You can import and export X3D files and (only) import WRL files into Blender to work with 2D or 3D graphics, animation, and more.
- 3D-Coat Applink: This “Import-Export” Community Blender add-on doesn’t enable support for another file format. However, this add-on is still helpful because it more easily transfers data between 3D-Coat, another graphics design program, and Blender.
- UV Layout: Lastly, this Community add-on, like the previous one, doesn’t add support for another file format. Instead, this add-on allows you to export a UV layout from Blender in the form of a 2D graphic.
Conversions
Of course, even with all of the official and community add-ons, there still might be a few other file types that are unsupported. Luckily, you can easily switch the format of your digital asset from one format to another using online or installed conversion tools.
A few options for conversion tools include CloudConvert (online), AnyConv (online), and CAD Exchanger (download). These conversion tools usually offer a huge range of potential formats to convert to and from, and they’re super quick, too.
While using a conversion tool doesn’t actually expand the list of supported formats in Blender, it enables you to work with other formats by converting them to a Blender-supported format. For example, the DWG format isn’t supported by Blender, but you can easily convert a DWG drawing to the DXF format. Then, you can activate the DXF add-on in Blender and open your drawing that way.
Besides taking a few extra minutes to convert one format to another, switching formats may also mean losing certain types of data for your digital asset. That’s because not all formats store the same types of data. While risking losing certain aspects of a file’s data is a downside to the conversion process, in the end, converting a file to work with Blender is better than not being able to work with the incompatible format at all!
Lead image source: alexwbt via Reddit
License: The text of "Blender File Format: Which Files Are Supported?" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.