Format

DAE

DAE (Digital Asset Exchange) is the open, XML-based COLLADA file type for exchanging scenes, materials, and animation between 3D tools.

Open DAE Viewer

What is a DAE File?

A DAE file is an open, XML-based 3D format that stores complete scenes, including geometry, materials, textures, cameras, lights, and animation. DAE stands for Digital Asset Exchange and is the file type of COLLADA, a vendor-neutral interchange standard managed by the Khronos Group. Text-based and widely supported, it long served as a common bridge between tools like Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, and SketchUp.

How it works

A DAE file is written in readable XML that describes a scene as a hierarchy of nodes with transforms, meshes, shading, skinning, and keyframed animation. COLLADA was designed as a neutral interchange format rather than a compact delivery format, so it prioritizes preserving data over small file size. It powered early 3D on the web and in tools such as Google Earth and SketchUp, and it remains widely importable today. For real-time and web delivery, the Khronos Group's newer glTF format has largely taken over, leaving DAE mainly as a legacy interchange option.

COLLADA (DAE) vs FBX

COLLADA 1.5 (2008)

Current spec

ISO/PAS 17506 (2012)

Standardized as

XML text, .dae

File encoding

COLLADA (DAE)

FBX

Ownership

Open Khronos standard, royalty-free

Proprietary, Autodesk SDK

Encoding

Human-readable XML text

Binary, opaque without tooling

Rigs & animation

Skinning and keyframes supported

Most robust: rigs, blend shapes, takes

Exchange reliability

Exporters drift, results vary by tool

Consistent via the official SDK

Best for

Legacy pipelines, SketchUp, Google Earth

DCC-to-engine hand-off today

COLLADA still imports almost everywhere, but its exporters vary by tool, so verify skinning and materials after every transfer. For new work, move rigs with FBX or GLB and treat DAE as a legacy fallback.

In Meshy Meshy does not export DAE natively, so export FBX or GLB from a generation and re-save it as COLLADA in Blender when a pipeline still requires .dae.

Use cases

Exchanging 3D scenes and assets between different modeling applications
Importing legacy models authored for SketchUp or Google Earth
Moving skinned, animated characters between DCC tools

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Last updated September 14, 2026

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Other terms

FBX File glTF OBJ File 3D Animation 3ds file 3MF File Alembic AMF BLEND

Frequently Asked Questions

A DAE file is an open, XML-based 3D format that stores complete scenes, including geometry, materials, textures, cameras, lights, and animation. It is the file type of COLLADA, a vendor-neutral interchange standard managed by the Khronos Group. Because it is text-based and widely supported, DAE is used to move 3D data between different modeling applications.

DAE stands for Digital Asset Exchange and is the file extension used by the COLLADA format. COLLADA is short for COLLAborative Design Activity, an open interchange standard originally created by Sony and now maintained by the Khronos Group. In everyday use the terms are interchangeable, since a COLLADA file is saved with the .dae extension.

A DAE file is written as human-readable XML that describes a scene as a hierarchy of nodes with transforms, meshes, shading, skinning, and keyframed animation. This text-based structure makes the data easy to inspect and parse across different programs. The trade-off is larger files than binary formats, because COLLADA was built for faithful interchange rather than compact delivery.

DAE is an open, XML-based standard managed by the Khronos Group, while FBX is a proprietary binary format owned by Autodesk. FBX tends to be better supported in game engines and Autodesk tools and produces smaller files, whereas DAE is human-readable and vendor-neutral. Both can carry geometry, materials, and animation, so the choice usually comes down to which tools in your pipeline read each format most reliably.

DAE (COLLADA) and glTF are both open Khronos formats, but they serve different goals. COLLADA is a heavier interchange format aimed at moving full scenes between authoring tools, while glTF is a compact format optimized for fast loading on the web and in real-time engines. Khronos now positions glTF as the modern delivery format, with COLLADA largely a legacy interchange option.

DAE files open in most 3D applications, including Blender, Maya, and 3ds Max, as well as SketchUp and many model viewers. Blender imports and exports COLLADA directly, making it a convenient way to inspect or convert a .dae file. On macOS, Preview and Quick Look can also display DAE models without extra software.

DAE is still widely importable and appears in legacy assets, SketchUp exports, and older web and AR content. However, for real-time and web delivery it has largely been replaced by glTF, which loads faster and is more compact. Today DAE is most useful as a neutral interchange format when moving models between older tools.

Yes. COLLADA is an open, royalty-free specification, and the .dae format can be read and written without any licensing fees. This openness is why it became a common bridge between different 3D applications. Many free tools, including Blender, support it out of the box.

Meshy exports to FBX, OBJ, GLB, and USDZ, so DAE is not one of its native output formats. You can convert a generated model to another interchange format with the free Meshy 3D File Converter, then open it in a tool like Blender that reads and re-saves COLLADA. This lets you move an AI-generated model into a DAE-based workflow in a couple of steps.

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DAE

What is a DAE File?

How it works

COLLADA (DAE) vs FBX

Use cases