Extract text from Boundary representation models (BREP)
To convert BREP models to another format, you need Open CASCADE or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "Boundary Representation Model" file type, you need software like Open CASCADE or a similar tool.
A .BREP file is a 3D CAD model saved in the native format of the Open CASCADE Technology (OCCT) modeling kernel. It defines objects using "Boundary Representation," describing 3D shapes by their topological limits - faces, edges, and vertices - rather than simple polygon meshes. This format is the internal standard for OCCT-based software like FreeCAD and various industrial simulation tools.
While .BREP files offer mathematical precision for the software that created them, they are effectively "black boxes" for most other applications. They are not designed as universal exchange formats. Sending a raw .BREP file to a client using SolidWorks or AutoCAD often results in import errors or unrecognized geometry, as proprietary kernels use different internal math. Additionally, these files cannot be opened in standard web browsers, OS previewers, or slicers for 3D printing. The strict dependency on the OCCT kernel version can also lead to backward compatibility issues, where an older application fails to read a file generated by a newer library.
To resolve these downsides, the best practice is conversion. for professional engineering exchange, convert .BREP to STEP (ISO 10303), which is the industry standard for maintaining precise geometry across different CAD platforms. For 3D printing (additive manufacturing), you must convert the file to STL, which transforms the precise curves into a triangular mesh the printer can understand. For use in visualization, VR, or web design, converting to OBJ or GLB is ideal to reduce file weight and ensure compatibility with rendering engines like Blender or Unity.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BREP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted FCSTD, FCSTD1, RVM and STEP files.
If you want to convert BREP file to STEP, DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use Open CASCADE or similar software from the "3D CAD Geometry Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SLDASM, DGN, PRT, IAM, X_B, CATPRODUCT, SLDPRT, RVT, ASM, DWG, CATPART or DXF files to BREP, try Open CASCADE or another comparable tool in the "3D CAD 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 BREP converter.