IQM to 3DS Converter
FileFlip converts IQM 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 IQM file to 3DS?#
- Drop your IQM 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 IQM to 3DS lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting IQM 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 IQM files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts IQM 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 IQM to 3DS actually does to the file#
Converting IQM 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: IQM → 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 IQM file?#
An IQM file is a compact binary model written by Lee Salzman's Inter-Quake Model tools, laying out a header of section offsets followed by aligned arrays of vertex data, joints, poses, animations and per-frame bounds so an engine can read it with minimal parsing.
Use IQM when a game engine needs a skeletal model format it can load with minimal, predictable parsing code.
Convert IQM to FBX or glTF when the model needs to go into a mainstream DCC tool or engine that doesn't already have IQM support built in.
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.
IQM to 3DS questions people ask#
What is an IQM file?
An IQM file is a binary 3D model in the Inter-Quake Model format, storing meshes, a skeleton, blend weights and animations in a compact, aligned layout designed for a game engine to load quickly. Lee Salzman created it as an open, engine-agnostic successor to the various id Tech model formats.
What's the difference between IQM and IQE?
IQM is the compact binary format engines load at runtime, while IQE is a plain-text version of the same data meant for editing and for compiling from other formats. Tools convert IQE, or formats like OBJ, SMD and MD5, into IQM as a build step.
What software can open IQM files?
Blender reads and writes IQM through a dedicated import/export add-on, and a handful of open-source game engines built on the format load it natively. Mainstream commercial 3D tools generally don't support IQM without that add-on.
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.