XGL to USDZ Converter
FileFlip converts XGL to USDZ 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 XGL file to USDZ?#
- Drop your XGL 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 USDZ 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 USDZ file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting XGL to USDZ lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting XGL to USDZ rebuilds the file in USDZ's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything USDZ 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 XGL files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts XGL 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 XGL to USDZ actually does to the file#
Converting XGL to USDZ 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: XGL → USDZ |
| 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 XGL file?#
An XGL file is an XML document describing a tessellated 3D scene under a root WORLD element, holding meshes, materials, lighting and a transform hierarchy the way CAD visualisation tools laid scenes out before glTF existed.
Use XGL when an existing CAD visualisation pipeline already produces it and the destination tool reads XML scene data directly.
Convert XGL to glTF or OBJ for anything outside that original CAD tooling, since XGL support is rare elsewhere.
What is a USDZ file?#
A USDZ file is a zero-compression ZIP archive holding one or more USD layers together with their textures, audio and other referenced assets, packaged as the single file Apple's AR Quick Look expects.
Use USDZ when a model needs to open in AR Quick Look on an iPhone or iPad, or travel as one self-contained file with its textures attached.
Convert away from USDZ when the model is headed into a DCC tool or pipeline that expects an unpacked USD layer rather than a zip package.
XGL to USDZ questions people ask#
What is an XGL file?
An XGL file is an XML-based 3D scene, storing tessellated meshes, materials, lighting and a transform hierarchy under a root WORLD element. It comes from CAD visualisation tooling that predates glTF.
What's the difference between XGL and ZGL?
A ZGL file is the exact same XGL XML data, just run through gzip compression to shrink it. Any reader that handles ZGL simply decompresses it first and then parses it as ordinary XGL.
Can I edit an XGL file by hand?
Yes, since XGL is plain XML text, small edits to a mesh, material or transform can be made in any text editor. Large scenes get unwieldy quickly, though, given how verbose the XML is compared to a binary format.
What opens a USDZ file?
On a Mac or iPhone, USDZ opens straight in Quick Look from the Finder, Safari, Messages or Mail with no separate app needed. Blender and Adobe Aero also read USDZ on any platform if you need to edit rather than just view it.