IQM to DirectX X Converter
FileFlip converts IQM to DirectX X 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 DirectX X?#
- 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 DirectX X 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 DirectX X file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting IQM to DirectX X lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting IQM to DirectX X rebuilds the file in DirectX X's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything DirectX X 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 DirectX X actually does to the file#
Converting IQM to DirectX X 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 → DirectX X |
| 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 DirectX X file?#
An X file is Microsoft's DirectX mesh format, storing geometry, materials, textures, skinning and animation as a set of typed data templates, in either a human-readable text encoding or a tokenised binary one.
Use X only to keep compatibility with older DirectX SDK samples or a legacy pipeline built around the format.
Convert X to FBX or glTF for any current game or graphics pipeline, since DirectX itself has moved on from the format.
IQM to DirectX X 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 DirectX X file used for?
An X file stores a 3D mesh for Microsoft's DirectX, including materials, textures, skinning and animation, laid out as a set of typed templates. It was the standard model format across the DirectX SDK samples through the 1990s and 2000s.