Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your 3DS file.
You'll see a preview.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to save your file in the format you want.
Convert 3DS to another file type
The converter easily converts your 3DS 3D scenes to various formats - free and online. No Autodesk 3ds Max or or other 3D software needed.
3DS to OBJ
3DS to STL
3DS to FBX
3DS to STP
3DS to X
3DS to 3MF
3DS to X3D
3DS to ASSBIN
3DS to GLB
3DS to PLY
3DS to GLTF
Convert a file to 3DS
The converter also works in reverse, so you can convert other "3D Scene File" formats to 3DS without using software like Autodesk 3ds Max or a similar tool.
DAE to 3DS
X3D to 3DS
OBJ to 3DS
STEP to 3DS
FBX to 3DS
PLY to 3DS
IFCZIP to 3DS
PMX to 3DS
IRRMESH to 3DS
TER to 3DS
BLEND to 3DS
OGEX to 3DS
About 3DS files
The .3DS file is a legacy 3D graphics format originally created for Autodesk 3D Studio, the DOS-era predecessor to modern 3D software. It stores 3D mesh data, material attributes, bitmap references, smoothing group data, and basic animation configurations. Despite its age, it remains a common interchange format for basic 3D geometry. However, the .3DS format has severe technical disadvantages in modern workflows. It is strictly limited by a maximum of 65,536 vertices and polygons per mesh. It does not support modern physically based rendering (PBR) materials, directional light sources are poorly preserved, and it enforces an archaic DOS 8.3 character limit for external texture filenames. Complex models will easily become corrupted or artificially split if they exceed these limits, making the format frustrating for high-resolution 3D work. To overcome these limitations, you must convert your .3DS files to modern formats. For active editing in software like Blender or Maya, convert to FBX or OBJ. For web rendering and AR applications, convert to GLTF or GLB. For 3D printing, convert to STL. Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser using convert.guru. Note that a rare alternate use for the .3DS extension is a Nintendo 3DS ROM file, which is a game backup used by emulators like Citra and cannot be converted into a 3D model.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your 3DS file.
If you want to convert 3DS file to CIA, SKP, DWG, 3DSX, DAE, MAX, BLEND, MA or MB, you can use Autodesk 3ds Max or similar software from the "3D Geometry and Materials" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP or 3DM files to 3DS, try Autodesk 3ds Max or another comparable tool in the "3D Geometry and Materials" category.
The 3DS Converter Story
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 3DS converter.