XGL File Format (.xgl)
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.
XGL at a glance#
| Full name | XGL 3D |
|---|---|
| File extension | .xgl |
| Category | 3D Models |
| Compression | Uncompressed |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads this format but does not write it |
What a .xgl file can hold#
These are the things a XGL file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Textures and materials | Yes |
|---|
Strengths and limitations of XGL#
What XGL does well
- Plain XML, so the scene structure can be read or edited in a text editor without special tooling
- Stores a full scene hierarchy of meshes, materials, lighting and transforms, not just a bare mesh
Where XGL falls short
- XML markup makes an XGL file far larger than an equivalent binary format for the same geometry
- No public specification or maintaining organisation could be verified, only the structure a handful of import libraries implement
- No animation support, only static tessellated geometry and lighting
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.
How to open a .xgl file#
A .xgl file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts XGL 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 |
|---|---|
| Web | FileFlip |
XGL 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.
Converting XGL files#
Convert XGL to another format
FileFlip does not write .xgl 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.