COLLADA File Format (.dae)

A DAE file is an XML document in the COLLADA schema, created at Sony Computer Entertainment in 2004 and now maintained by the Khronos Group, describing a 3D scene's geometry, materials, lights, cameras and animation so it can move between authoring tools that don't share a native format.

.dae3D Models

COLLADA at a glance#

Full name	Digital Asset Exchange
File extension	.dae
Category	3D Models
Developer	Sony Computer Entertainment
First released	2004
MIME types	model/vnd.collada+xml
Compression	Uncompressed
Specification	COLLADA (ISO/PAS 17506:2012)
FileFlip support	FileFlip reads and writes this format

What a .dae file can hold#

These are the things a COLLADA file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.

Embedded metadata	Yes
Textures and materials	Yes
Skeletons and animation	Yes
Human readable	Yes

Strengths and limitations of COLLADA#

What COLLADA does well

XML text, so any editor or script can inspect or patch a scene without special tools
Captures a full scene, not just a mesh: lights, cameras, materials and animation together
An ISO standard (ISO/PAS 17506) with a specification anyone can read

Where COLLADA falls short

Verbose XML makes DAE files considerably larger than a binary equivalent
glTF has taken over COLLADA's original role of delivering assets over the network
Different applications' COLLADA exporters interpret parts of the schema differently, so round-tripping between two tools isn't guaranteed

Use COLLADA when a scene, not just a mesh, needs to move between two older authoring tools that both implement the schema.

Convert DAE to glTF for anything shipping to a web viewer, game engine or AR platform today, since that's the format those targets expect.

How to open a .dae file#

A .dae file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts COLLADA into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.

Platform	Programs that open it
Windows	Blender, SketchUp, Autodesk Maya
macOS	Blender, SketchUp
Linux	Blender
Web	FileFlip

COLLADA questions people ask#

What is a DAE file?

A DAE file is a COLLADA document, an XML-based interchange format created at Sony Computer Entertainment in 2004 and now maintained by the Khronos Group. It describes a full 3D scene, geometry, materials, lights, cameras and animation, so it can move between authoring tools that don't share a native format.

What program opens DAE files?

Blender, SketchUp and Autodesk Maya all open DAE files, since COLLADA has long been supported as an import and export option across mainstream 3D and CAD tools. Which one to use depends on whether the goal is further editing or just viewing the scene.

Is COLLADA the same as glTF?

No, they're different formats with a shared lineage: both come from the Khronos Group, but COLLADA is a verbose XML schema for exchanging scenes between authoring tools, while glTF is a leaner JSON and binary format built specifically for efficient delivery to a renderer. glTF has largely replaced COLLADA for that delivery role.

Why do SketchUp exports come as DAE?

SketchUp has supported COLLADA export since early versions of the free edition, making DAE one of the standard ways to get a SketchUp model into another 3D application. It remains common in older pipelines and asset libraries built around that workflow.

Converting COLLADA files#

Convert COLLADA to another format

Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.