Extract text from 3DW files
To convert your 3DW file to another format, you need 3D World Studio or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "3D Map Source" file type, you need software like 3D World Studio or a similar tool.
The .3DW extension is most frequently associated with 3D World Studio, a legacy map editor developed by Leadwerks that was instrumental in creating the environments for the hit indie game SCP - Containment Breach. These files contain raw 3D geometry, textures, lighting data, and entity placement used to compile playable levels.
Users typically encounter these files when modding SCP - Containment Breach or attempting to recover level data from older Blitz3D game projects. The frustrating part is that .3DW is a binary source format, not a standard 3D model. It cannot be opened directly in modern tools like Blender or Unity without intermediate conversion. Furthermore, the original 3D World Studio software is deprecated and difficult to run on Windows 10/11.
For modding or archival purposes, the best workflow is to convert .3DW files to OBJ (for editing in standard 3D software) or B3D (for use in the Blitz3D engine). A secondary, unrelated use of this extension is by Esko Store Visualizer, where it functions as a proprietary scene file for retail environment simulation; these files are encrypted and generally cannot be converted outside of the Esko ecosystem.
Convert.Guru analyzes your 3DW file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted WORLD, MCA and MCWORLD files.
If you want to convert 3DW file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use 3D World Studio or similar software from the "Game Level Source File" 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 3DW, try 3D World Studio or another comparable tool in the "Game Level Source File" 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 3DW converter.