Extract text from 3DB files
To convert your 3DB file to another format, you need Freelancer or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Asset Container" file type, you need software like Freelancer or a similar tool.
The .3DB extension represents a heavily fragmented collection of binary file formats, primarily used to store 3D geometry and game assets. The most common variation is the proprietary VMesh format found in the classic space simulator Freelancer by Microsoft Digital Anvil. These files contain ship models, planetary terrain, and station structures packed into a specialized container that modern 3D software like Blender or Autodesk 3ds Max cannot natively open. Users frequently encounter these files when modding games or recovering assets from older simulations like Steel Beasts or Command: Modern Operations.
The primary friction point with .3DB files is proprietary lock-in. Unlike universal formats (e.g., OBJ), a .3DB file from one software (e.g., Technodigit 3DReshaper) is completely incompatible with another (e.g., Cadenas PARTsolutions). They are often uncompressed binary blobs lacking standard headers, making identification difficult. A minority of these files (approx. 4%) are standard SQLite databases renamed with a distinct extension, which adds to the confusion.
For 3D modeling and game modding, the best conversion workflow is to transform the proprietary geometry into standard interchange formats like OBJ (for static mesh geometry), FBX (if rigging/animation data is preserved), or STL (for 3D printing applications). For archival or data inspection purposes - especially if the file is a database - converting to CSV or SQL ensures the data remains human-readable and accessible without the original legacy software.
Convert.Guru analyzes your 3DB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted V3DB, 3MF, ZTL and PLY files.
If you want to convert 3DB file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use Freelancer or similar software from the "3D Geometry Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, DAE, X3D, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP, 3DS, 3DM, OBJ, STEP or FBX files to 3DB, try Freelancer or another comparable tool in the "3D Geometry Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our 3DB converter.