OGEX File Format (.ogex)
An OGEX file is a text document in the OpenGEX format Eric Lengyel's Terathon Software published in 2013, built on the OpenDDL structured-data syntax to lay out a scene's nodes, geometry, materials, skeletons and keyframed animation with a grammar strict enough that a parser doesn't have to guess at intent.
OGEX at a glance#
| Full name | Open Game Engine Exchange |
|---|---|
| File extension | .ogex |
| Category | 3D Models |
| Developer | Eric Lengyel / Terathon Software |
| First released | 2013 |
| MIME types | model/vnd.opengex |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| Specification | OpenGEX Specification |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads this format but does not write it |
What a .ogex file can hold#
These are the things a OGEX file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Textures and materials | Yes |
|---|---|
| Skeletons and animation | Yes |
| Human readable | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of OGEX#
What OGEX does well
- A strictly specified grammar leaves little room for the exporter-to-exporter inconsistency that affects looser formats
- Text-based on OpenDDL, so a scene can be inspected or diffed like source code
- Purpose-built for game engines, covering skinned meshes, morph targets and keyframe animation directly
Where OGEX falls short
- A far smaller install base than glTF or FBX, with official export plugins limited to 3ds Max and Maya
- Native support is largely limited to Terathon's own C4 Engine, its original target
- Plain text is far larger on disk than an equivalent binary format for a dense scene
Use OpenGEX when a scene needs a strictly specified, game-engine-oriented interchange format with predictable exporter behaviour.
Convert OGEX to glTF or FBX when the scene needs to move into an engine or DCC tool without native OpenGEX support, which covers most of them.
How to open a .ogex file#
A .ogex file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts OGEX 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 | C4 Engine |
| Web | FileFlip |
OGEX questions people ask#
What is an OGEX file?
An OGEX file is a scene in the OpenGEX format, a text-based interchange format built specifically for game engines, storing nodes, geometry, materials, skeletons and animation with a strict, well-defined grammar. Eric Lengyel of Terathon Software published it in 2013.
Why was OpenGEX created?
OpenGEX was created as a more reliably interoperable alternative to COLLADA, whose loose specification let different exporters interpret the same schema in incompatible ways. OpenGEX's stricter grammar was meant to leave less room for that kind of divergence.
What software supports OGEX files?
Terathon's own C4 Engine is OpenGEX's native target, and official export plugins exist for 3ds Max and Maya. Support outside that toolchain is limited, and glTF has become the more widely adopted choice for the same kind of game-engine interchange.
Converting OGEX files#
Convert OGEX to another format
FileFlip does not write .ogex files, so nothing on the site converts into this format. It works as a source only.
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.