ZGL File Format (.zgl)
A ZGL file is an XGL 3D scene, meshes, materials, lighting and a transform hierarchy under a root WORLD element, run through gzip compression, which is how the verbose XGL XML is usually distributed.
ZGL at a glance#
| Full name | XGL compressed |
|---|---|
| File extension | .zgl |
| Category | 3D Models |
| Compression | Lossless |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads this format but does not write it |
What a .zgl file can hold#
These are the things a ZGL 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 ZGL#
What ZGL does well
- Gzip shrinks XGL's verbose XML markup down to a much smaller file for the same scene
- Decompresses to ordinary XGL XML, so nothing about the scene data itself is lost or altered
Where ZGL falls short
- A reader needs a gzip decompressor before it can even start parsing the scene, unlike plain XGL
- No public specification or maintaining organisation could be verified for the underlying XGL structure
- No animation support, only static tessellated geometry and lighting
Use ZGL wherever an XGL scene is being distributed or stored and file size matters, since it's the same data compressed.
Convert ZGL to glTF or OBJ for anything outside the original CAD visualisation tooling, since ZGL support is rare elsewhere.
How to open a .zgl file#
A .zgl file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts ZGL 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 |
ZGL questions people ask#
What is a ZGL file?
A ZGL file is a gzip-compressed XGL scene, the same XML mesh, material, lighting and transform data as an XGL file, just shrunk down. A reader decompresses it first and then parses it exactly like XGL.
How do I open a ZGL file?
A ZGL file needs a tool that specifically supports the XGL/ZGL format, since it isn't a general-purpose gzip archive despite using the same compression. Decompressing it manually with a gzip utility recovers the underlying XGL XML, which can then be inspected as text.
Is ZGL a different format from XGL?
No. A ZGL file holds the exact same XGL scene structure, just compressed. Nothing about the meshes, materials or hierarchy changes between the two.
Converting ZGL files#
Convert ZGL to another format
FileFlip does not write .zgl 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.