HMP to 3DS Converter
FileFlip converts HMP to 3DS entirely inside your browser, using Assimp compiled to WebAssembly. The file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. That means no file-size limit, no queue and no account.
How do I convert an HMP file to 3DS?#
- Drop your HMP file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer. You can add as many as you like.
- Leave the target set to 3DS and the conversion starts on its own. FileFlip downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, then runs Assimp on your own machine.
- Save the 3DS file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting HMP to 3DS lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting HMP to 3DS rebuilds the file in 3DS's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything 3DS can represent comes through exactly and anything it cannot has to be dropped. Expect the geometry to be exact, and anything the target has no place for, such as a rig, to be left behind.
Is it safe to convert HMP files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts HMP 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 HMP to 3DS actually does to the file#
Converting HMP to 3DS runs on Assimp, downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, rebuilds the file in the target's own model, and drops skeleton and animation.
| Engine | Assimp |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: HMP → 3DS |
| Downloaded to your browser | 11.2 MB, once, then cached by your browser |
| Quality | Rebuilt in the target's model |
| You get back | One file |
| Where it runs | In a background worker, so the page stays responsive |
What survives the conversion
| What is in the file | This conversion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Textures | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Skeleton and animation | Dropped | The target format has nowhere to put it. |
Worth knowing before you start:
- if the source carries a skeleton or animation, this target has no place to store it
What is an HMP file?#
An HMP file is a binary heightmap written for Conitec's 3D GameStudio engine, storing a rectangular grid of elevation values that the engine's Terrain Engine tessellates into landscape geometry at load time rather than shipping the triangles directly.
Use HMP when terrain needs to load directly into 3D GameStudio's Terrain Engine.
Convert HMP to a mesh format when the terrain needs to become explicit triangle geometry for an engine that doesn't understand GameStudio's heightmap format.
What is a 3DS file?#
A 3DS file is the binary, chunk-based scene format of Autodesk's 3D Studio DOS, released in 1990, storing mesh, texture and lighting data behind two long-standing limits: 65,536 vertices per mesh and 8-character names.
Use 3DS only when the destination is legacy software that specifically expects the format, since its limits make it a poor choice for anything new.
Convert 3DS to OBJ or FBX to get past the vertex and naming limits, or whenever the model needs to sit in a modern pipeline.
HMP to 3DS questions people ask#
What is an HMP file?
An HMP file is a heightmap for Conitec's 3D GameStudio engine, storing a grid of elevation values that the engine's Terrain Engine turns into landscape geometry when the level loads. It holds elevation data, not a finished mesh.
What software opens HMP files?
3D GameStudio and its level editor are essentially the only software built to read HMP files, since the format is specific to that engine's terrain system. There's no general-purpose 3D application that opens it natively.
Why would I convert an HMP file to a mesh format?
An HMP file only stores a grid of elevation values, and only 3D GameStudio knows how to turn that into terrain geometry. Converting it to a mesh format like OBJ tessellates the heightmap into actual triangles that other 3D software and game engines can load directly.
What is a 3DS file?
A 3DS file is the native scene format of Autodesk's 3D Studio DOS, released in 1990, storing mesh geometry, texture references and lighting in a binary, chunk-based structure. It's still widely found in older asset libraries because so much content was authored in that era.