3DS to OBJ

Convert 3DS to OBJ in your browser

3DS is the file format of Autodesk 3D Studio, the DOS program that came before 3ds Max. It was the common exchange format of 1990s and early-2000s 3D, so a huge number of old models exist only as .3ds: free model archives, CD-ROM libraries, early game assets, architectural furniture packs. Current software increasingly doesn't open it, or needs a plug-in to.

OBJ is the format that replaced it as the safe choice for swapping meshes between programs. Converting 3DS to OBJ gives those old models a file that any modern modeling, sculpting or rendering tool will import. The conversion happens in your browser; the file is not uploaded.

What the OBJ will contain

Be aware that the OBJ written here is geometry only. The preview shows the 3DS materials and textures, but the OBJ output has no .mtl file and no textures.

Meshes

Kept. Each 3DS object is written as its own group in the OBJ, so the parts stay separable.

UV coordinates

Kept. You can reapply the original texture images in your 3D app and they'll map the way they did.

Normals

Written, but not from the file. 3DS stores smoothing groups rather than normals. Smoothing groups aren't read; normals are computed from the mesh when it loads, and those are what the OBJ gets.

Materials and textures

Not written. No .mtl is created and the model opens gray. Keep the original image files to reassign them.

Keyframe animation

Dropped. OBJ is a static format.

Cameras and lights

Dropped.

How to convert 3DS to OBJ

1. Drop the .3ds file onto the converter. If you want to see the textures in the preview, select the image files too and drop everything together. They're not needed for the OBJ itself.

2. Check the preview. Orbit around to make sure all the objects are there.

3. Convert and download the .obj.

Quirks of old 3DS files

3DS was designed around the limits of 1990s hardware, and some of those limits show up when you convert.

Want to keep the textures? Open the file in the 3DS Viewer and download it as GLB.

Model lies on its back

3D Studio and 3ds Max work Z-up, while OBJ tools expect Y-up. A 3DS file has no up-axis flag and the coordinates are carried over unchanged, so a model from Max may import lying down. Rotate it 90 degrees on the X axis in the target app, or open it in the 3DS Viewer, set the Up axis switch so it stands upright, and use Download as, which follows that setting.

Large models split into many pieces

3DS limits each mesh to 65,535 vertices, so big models were cut into chunks on export. Those chunks come through as separate OBJ groups. Join them in your 3D app if you need one mesh.

Textures won't load in the preview

3DS stores texture names in old 8.3 DOS form, like WOODFLR1.JPG. If the image files were renamed since, the names no longer match. Rename the images to what the file expects, or reassign them later in your 3D app.

Odd object names

Names were limited to 10 characters, so the OBJ group names will be short and often cryptic.

Shading looks different

Because smoothing groups aren't read, edges that were sharp in 3D Studio can look rounded, and some seams can look faceted. Reset the shading in your 3D app with smooth-by-angle (auto-smooth) or by marking sharp edges.

Next steps after converting

Once you have an OBJ, the model is easy to bring into Blender, ZBrush, Cinema 4D or any renderer. If you're heading for the web or a game engine, GLB is a better target because it keeps materials. If you're heading for a 3D printer, STL is what the slicer wants.

For printing, take the OBJ on with OBJ to STL.