BVH Converter
FileFlip converts BVH files into 14 other formats entirely inside your browser, using Assimp compiled to WebAssembly. The BVH file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. There is no file-size limit and no account to create.
How do I convert a BVH file?#
- Drop your BVH file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer.
- Choose the format you want out of it. FileFlip downloads the engine that conversion needs, once, and your browser caches it.
- Conversion starts the moment you pick the format, and the result is yours to download. The work happens in this tab, so nothing is uploaded and nothing is queued.
Is it safe to convert BVH files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts BVH files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What happens to a BVH file#
FileFlip converts BVH into 14 formats with Assimp, all of it inside the browser tab. Each conversion below names the engine it uses, what it downloads, and exactly what that conversion keeps or drops.
| Category | 3D Models |
|---|---|
| File extension | .bvh |
| FileFlip support | Read only, so it is a source rather than a target |
| Conversions available | 14 |
| Engines | Assimp |
| Downloaded to your browser | 11.2 MB on the first conversion, then cached |
What is a BVH file?#
A BVH file is motion-capture data in the format Biovision devised to deliver mocap to its clients: a text header naming each skeleton joint and its offset, followed by one row of rotation values per captured frame.
Use BVH to move raw motion-capture animation between tools that already have a matching skeleton to drive.
There's little reason to convert BVH to a mesh format, since a BVH has no geometry to convert; it only makes sense retargeted onto a rigged character inside an animation tool.
The BVH file format reference covers the specification, the programs that open one, and what each conversion keeps or drops.
BVH questions people ask#
What is a BVH file?
A BVH file stores motion-capture animation: a skeleton's joint hierarchy and offsets, followed by a table giving every joint's rotation for each captured frame. It was developed by the motion-capture company Biovision to hand mocap data to clients in a form any animation package could read.
Can a BVH file contain a 3D model?
No, a BVH file has no mesh, materials or textures at all, only a joint hierarchy and its motion over time. It describes movement, not a shape, so it has to be paired with a rigged character in an animation tool before there's anything to look at.
Why does my BVH animation look wrong on a different character?
A BVH file's rotation data was captured against one specific skeleton's proportions and joint naming, so applying it to a character with a different bone hierarchy or bone lengths needs retargeting, not a straight import. Most animation software has a dedicated retargeting step for exactly this mismatch.