Extract text from Alice and Allplan files (A2C)
To convert A2C files to another format, you need Nemetschek Allplan or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Exchange File" file type, you need software like Nemetschek Allplan or a similar tool.
The .A2C file extension primarily belongs to two heavily specialized formats: the Allplan CAD exchange file developed by Nemetschek and the 3D Character Model file generated by Autodesk Character Generator. Professionals working in architecture use Allplan .A2C files to share massive project environments between workstations. Conversely, 3D animators and game developers encounter the format when exporting custom rigged avatars from Autodesk's platform. Less frequently, it appears as an Adobe Aero augmented reality file, an Android Audio Cache, or a legacy object file for the educational programming environment Alice.
These files are severely limited by their proprietary nature. An Allplan .A2C file requires an expensive, heavy CAD software suite to open natively. It is not supported by web browsers, standard image viewers, or basic 3D previewers. Without the original Allplan software, collaborating with external clients or non-CAD users becomes a massive bottleneck. The Autodesk variant, while technically a compressed archive format, obfuscates the 3D meshes and textures inside a single obscure extension, confusing generic 3D applications.
To bypass these limits, professionals must convert .A2C files to universal targets. For CAD data, converting to DWG, DXF, or a flattened PDF is highly recommended for cross-platform sharing. For Autodesk character models, targets like FBX, OBJ, or DAE ensure the skeletal rig and materials load correctly in engines like Unity or Unreal. However, converting complex CAD or rigged 3D models inevitably risks losing proprietary metadata, layer structures, or specific material shaders unique to the host software.
Because .A2C files rely on closed-ecosystem algorithms, standard online converters often fail completely. They lack the specific runtime libraries needed to parse Allplan structural data or unpack Autodesk rigging hierarchies. This is where convert.guru comes in. Just drag and drop your file to identify the exact format variation, view internal metadata, and convert it if supported. Even if direct 3D conversion fails, our analysis detects underlying structures - like the embedded ZIP archive in Autodesk files - allowing you to extract the raw mesh and texture files effortlessly.
Convert.Guru analyzes your A2C file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted A2W, AIML and EGG files.
If you want to convert A2C file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use Nemetschek Allplan or similar software from the "CAD Exchange & 3D Modeling" 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 A2C, try Nemetschek Allplan or another comparable tool in the "CAD Exchange & 3D Modeling" 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 A2C converter.