DAE viewer online
Open DAE files instantly — measure in mm, cut a section, spot overhangs and check if the model is ready to print. Nothing is uploaded.
What is a DAE file?
COLLADA, short for COLLAborative Design Activity, was started by Sony Computer Entertainment and handed to the Khronos Group, which published it as an open XML standard; it became ISO/PAS 17506. Files use the .dae extension. The goal was a neutral format that let different content-creation tools exchange assets without losing information, so it is broader than a mesh format: it describes geometry, materials and effects, images, cameras, lights, skeletons, skin controllers, animations and even physics. It declares its own unit with a meter attribute and an up_axis setting, which is more than OBJ or STL offer. Because it is verbose XML, files are large, and glTF has since taken over the role of Khronos's recommended runtime format. DAE still turns up in SketchUp downloads, Google Earth content, robotics (ROS) and older game and simulation assets.
What a DAE file can store
A DAE file stores a library of geometries, materials and effects, images, cameras, lights and animations, plus a visual scene that instantiates them with transforms. Meshes can be triangles or polygons with normals, UV sets and vertex colours. Skin and morph controllers cover character rigs. The asset block records the unit as a scale to metres and the up axis (Y_UP, Z_UP or X_UP), which makes scale and orientation recoverable when the exporter fills them in.
Apps that open DAE
Blender, SketchUp, Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, MeshLab, Unity, Godot, Google Earth, ROS (Gazebo, RViz).
Strengths
- Declares unit scale and up axis in the file
- Open, ISO-registered XML schema
- Carries materials, scene hierarchy and animation
- Still common in SketchUp, robotics and older asset libraries
Limits
- Verbose XML produces large files
- Exporter implementations differ in quality
- Largely superseded by glTF in new pipelines
- Textures are external files
- Not read by slicers
DAE and 3D printing
Slicers do not open DAE, so models are converted to STL or 3MF. SketchUp users run into this often, because SketchUp exports DAE and its models are drawn in inches. Since the file records its unit scale, a correct importer gets the size right, though SketchUp-style models are also built from many separate faces and groups, with duplicated or internal geometry that can confuse slicers. Check the reported dimensions and the watertight status after conversion. MeshShift reads DAE in the browser, applies the unit and up axis from the file, and can save the result as STL, 3MF, OBJ or GLB. It does not write DAE.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a DAE file without installing software?
Drop the DAE file on this page. It opens in your browser with studio lighting and real dimensions; nothing is uploaded. You can rotate, zoom, measure between two points, cut through the model and check whether it is watertight for printing.
What is a DAE file?
A DAE file is a COLLADA 3D scene saved as XML. It can hold meshes, materials, textures references, cameras, lights, rigs and animations. SketchUp, Blender and many older game tools export it, and Google Earth models also used it.
Is DAE the same as glTF?
Both are Khronos formats for exchanging 3D scenes, but DAE is a verbose XML interchange format for authoring tools, while glTF is a compact format designed for fast loading at runtime. New projects usually pick glTF or GLB, and DAE persists in legacy and SketchUp workflows.
Can MeshShift open DAE and convert it for printing?
Yes. MeshShift reads DAE in your browser, using the unit and up axis stored in the file, and writes STL, 3MF, OBJ, GLB or PLY. Writing DAE is not supported. Nothing is uploaded, and the print check can look for holes after conversion.