Getting started
Supported file formats
18 input and 29 output format families: current availability, CAD geometry, service levels and scan guidance.
Last updated 07/10/2026
Voluminate reconstructs 3D mechanical parts from 2D drawings, scans and photographs. This is CAD reconstruction, not a file-extension change: views, dimensions and assumptions must be interpreted to create geometry. Automated QA and an annotated drawing help identify defined, inferred and unresolved features; they do not replace engineering verification.
Check your exact conversion route
Use the interactive conversion selector to choose one of the 18 input families and 29 output families and see whether that exact pairing is available through Self-Service / AI, Engineer Assisted, or on request. File aliases are shown within one family; Onshape is a cloud document, not a downloadable file extension. Your upload screen, service quote and part's download list remain authoritative.
Availability legend
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🟢 Self-Service / AI | reconstruction through the web app, after any stated source preparation; additional exports depend on an eligible delivered candidate |
| 🟡 Engineer Assisted | engineering quote required; source, service, deliverable and price are confirmed by agreement before ordering |
| ⚪ Roadmap / On Request | not yet offered; confirm with us before ordering |
Input formats — 18 families
2D CAD
| Format | Extensions | Typical source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| DWG | .dwg | 2D vector drawing; upload alone. | 🟢 |
| DXF | .dxf | 2D vector drawing; upload alone. | 🟢 |
| DWF | .dwf, .dwfx | Published drawing; includes DWFX; export to PDF or a supported image first. | ⚪ |
| DGN | .dgn | MicroStation drawing; export to PDF or a supported image first. | ⚪ |
Documents and vector sources
| Format | Extensions | Typical source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vector drawing or raster scan; unencrypted. | 🟢 | ||
| SVG | .svg | Vector graphic; account upload and API; not the pre-signup check. | 🟢 |
| HPGL | .plt, .hpgl | Plotter drawing; export to PDF or a supported image first. | ⚪ |
Scans and images
| Format | Extensions | Typical source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIFF | .tif, .tiff | Single-page raster scan; direct account/API upload with automatic PNG preparation; original retained. Multi-page TIFF must be exported as PDF or separate PNG images. | 🟢 |
| PNG | .png | Lossless raster image. | 🟢 |
| JPG | .jpg, .jpeg | Photo or scan; includes JPEG. | 🟢 |
| BMP | .bmp | Bitmap image; prepared as PNG by the conversion selector. | 🟢 |
| WEBP | .webp | Raster image. | 🟢 |
| HEIC | .heic | Smartphone photo; export to PDF or a supported image first. | ⚪ |
Native drawings
| Format | Extensions | Typical source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATDrawing | .CATDrawing | CATIA drawing. | 🟡 |
| SLDDRW | .slddrw | SOLIDWORKS drawing. | 🟡 |
| DRW | .drw | Native drawing; source CAD system matters. | 🟡 |
| IDW | .idw | Inventor drawing. | 🟡 |
| DFT | .dft | Solid Edge drawing. | 🟡 |
Upload and drawing rules
- DWG and DXF are standalone inputs: upload one drawing alone. Do not combine it with another drawing, PDF or image, add files to its part set, or add it to a populated part set. An invalid drawing selection is rejected as a whole.
- PDF and image sources may describe the same physical part together; use the file-count and size limits shown on your upload screen. The combined size cap is 20 MiB. The homepage pre-signup check has a separate 10 MiB per-file limit.
- Upload entry points differ: account upload and API accept PDF, PNG, JPG/JPEG, WEBP, single-page TIFF/TIF, SVG, DWG and DXF. TIFF is prepared automatically as PNG for processing while the original is retained. Multi-page TIFF and TIFF with embedded images must be exported as PDF or separate PNG images. Mixed file sets containing TIFF may require a grouping review. The homepage check accepts TIFF/TIF but not SVG.
- For native drawings or catalogue-only input formats, export a legible PDF preserving all necessary views, dimensions and tolerances. A format listed in this catalogue is not an instruction to upload it directly.
- Use clear scans, ideally 200 dpi or better. Password-protected or encrypted PDFs cannot be read. Missing views or dimensions can lead to inferred or unresolved geometry.
Output formats — 29 families
B-Rep describes CAD faces, edges and solid boundaries; a mesh is a tessellated surface. A neutral B-Rep export does not retain the original design history. A native parametric model can include a feature tree, but changing a mesh or STEP extension does not create one. IGES and VDA-FS may carry surfaces rather than closed solids; JT and 3D-PDF can combine representations.
Industrial B-Rep and surface exchange
| Format | Extension / delivery | Geometry | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEP | .step, .stp | B-Rep | 🟢 |
| IGES | .igs, .iges | Surfaces / B-Rep exchange | 🟢 conditional export |
| Parasolid | .x_t, .x_b | B-Rep | 🟢 conditional export |
| ACIS | .sat, .sab | B-Rep; current export is SAT, not SAB | 🟢 conditional export |
| JT | .jt | B-Rep and/or mesh | 🟢 conditional export |
| Rhino | .3dm | NURBS / B-Rep | 🟢 conditional export |
| VDA-FS | .vda | Surfaces | ⚪ |
Native / parametric CAD
| Format | Extension / delivery | Geometry | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onshape Feature Tree | Cloud document (no file extension); connect your Onshape account to Voluminate | AI-built feature tree where feasible; Engineer Built by agreement | 🟢 conditional AI / 🟡 engineer rebuild |
| CATPart | .CATPart | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| SLDPRT | .sldprt | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| Creo PRT | .prt | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| NX PRT | .prt | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| PAR | .par | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| IPT | .ipt | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| F3D | .f3d | Parametric / native CAD | 🟡 |
| FCStd | .FCStd | Parametric / native CAD | ⚪ |
Meshes and 3D printing
| Format | Extension / delivery | Geometry | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| STL | .stl | Mesh | 🟢 |
| OBJ | .obj | Mesh | 🟢 conditional export |
| 3MF | .3mf | Mesh | 🟢 conditional export |
| AMF | .amf | Mesh | ⚪ |
| PLY | .ply | Mesh | ⚪ |
| glTF | .gltf | Mesh | 🟢 conditional export |
| GLB | .glb | Mesh | 🟢 conditional export |
| USDZ | .usdz | Mesh | ⚪ |
| FBX | .fbx | Mesh | ⚪ |
Visualization
| Format | Extension / delivery | Geometry | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVZ | .pvz | Visualization | 🟢 conditional export |
| 3DXML | .3dxml | Visualization | ⚪ |
| 3D-PDF | .pdf (PRC) | B-Rep and/or mesh in PDF (PRC) | ⚪ |
BIM
| Format | Extension / delivery | Geometry | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFC | .ifc | BIM objects; not a mechanical feature tree | ⚪ |
Green output status assumes a supported or prepared source; it does not make every catalogue input eligible. Native drawings require an engineering quote or an export to a supported input first. Grey targets remain unavailable in the selector even when the source is a native drawing.
Additional exports are available from eligible delivered STEP candidates for AI CAD and Engineer Checked; they are not engineer-only services and are not included with AI Preview. Choose the service on your part page and the available export in its download list. The selector file check does not book a service or export. Engineering quote requests record the selected input/output pairing; they do not book a service or confirm deliverability.
OBJ and glTF exports may arrive as ZIP archives so companion files stay together. Parasolid supports text (.x_t) and binary (.x_b) export. CAD application names are not interchangeable: Creo PRT and NX PRT both use .prt but are different native formats. PAR is Solid Edge, IPT is Inventor, F3D is Fusion, and FCStd is FreeCAD. IFC is listed separately because BIM is not a mechanical-part B-Rep or feature-tree service.
Which service produces which geometry?
| Service | Included result | Feature history and QA |
|---|---|---|
| AI Preview | One STL mesh per part; no CAD exports | Quick visual assessment, not parametric CAD |
| AI CAD | Available STEP/B-Rep reconstruction candidates and supported exports; an Onshape candidate where possible | Neutral exports have no feature history; an Onshape candidate may have an AI-built feature tree. Automated QA flags assumptions, not production approval |
| Engineer Checked | AI CAD plus an engineer check against your drawing | Checked B-Rep result where a B-Rep candidate is delivered; a check is not a full parametric rebuild |
| Engineer Built | Dimensionally verified parametric CAD, including the agreed supported native format and feature tree | Engineer rebuild; neutral exports do not preserve the native tree |
Service availability, complexity-based pricing and included formats are shown before you confirm. A catalogue-only format must be confirmed with the engineering team; it is not automatically included in an Engineer Built order.
Typical reconstruction permutations
- PDF to STEP — reconstruct a solid CAD candidate from dimensioned drawing views.
- DWG to STEP / DXF to STEP — reconstruct one mechanical part from a standalone 2D CAD drawing.
- Scans / TIFF to CAD — upload single-page TIFF directly in your account or through the API; we prepare the image automatically, interpret legible drawing views and reconstruct CAD; export a delivered B-Rep candidate as STEP or another supported exchange format.
- PNG / JPG / WEBP to STL — AI Preview for a quick assessment, with missing detail subject to inference.
- PDF to Onshape Feature Tree — an AI CAD candidate where feasible, or an agreed Engineer Built parametric rebuild.
- Drawing to IGES / Parasolid / Rhino — reconstruct CAD first, then export the delivered STEP candidate; an export alone does not restore design history.
The 522 catalogue pairings express possible source/target combinations, not 522 validated self-service conversions. Select the service for the geometry you need, inspect the QA findings and verify critical dimensions before production.
See AI Preview, AI CAD, Engineer Checked and Engineer Built and Using the part brief.