IQM to FBX Converter
FileFlip converts IQM to FBX 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 FBX?#
- 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 FBX 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 FBX file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting IQM to FBX lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting IQM to FBX rebuilds the file in FBX's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything FBX 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 FBX actually does to the file#
Converting IQM to FBX 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.
| Engine | Assimp |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: IQM → FBX |
| 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 | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
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 an FBX file?#
An FBX file is Autodesk's proprietary binary or ASCII scene format, originally built by Kaydara for its Filmbox motion-capture software in 1996, that carries a full scene, meshes, materials, skeletons, skinning and animation together in one container.
Use FBX when a full rigged, animated scene needs to move between a DCC tool and a game engine, since almost every pipeline tool expects it.
Convert an FBX file when the destination needs an open, patent-unencumbered format, or when the application that wrote it isn't the one reading it and something is coming through wrong.
IQM to FBX 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 software opens FBX files?
Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Unity and Unreal Engine all open FBX files, since it's the format most 3D and game pipelines use to move scenes between tools. Which application wrote the file matters more than which one is opening it, because FBX exporters don't all interpret the format identically.