Extract text from 3D model files (BTO)
To convert BTO 3D models to another format, you need xLODGen or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Level of Detail Mesh" file type, you need software like xLODGen or a similar tool.
The .bto extension refers to two distinct but proprietary file types that often confuse users.
The most common use (approx. 65%) is as a Level of Detail (LOD) file in Bethesda Softworks games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim. These files act as "supermeshes" - optimized combinations of smaller 3D models used to render distant landscapes efficiently. Unlike standard OBJ or FBX files, these are compiled binary archives generated by tools like xLODGen or DynDOLOD. Users typically encounter them when troubleshooting "black face" bugs or mod load orders. You cannot directly "convert" these to a simple image or document; they must be viewed with NifSkope or regenerated using modding tools.
The second type is a Bryce Tree File created by DAZ 3D Bryce. These contain 3D vegetation parameters specific to the Bryce environment. To use these trees in modern software like Blender or Unity, you must open the original file in Bryce and export it as a Wavefront OBJ file. Direct conversion without the host software is rarely supported due to the procedural nature of the data.
Rarely, this file may be a text-based installation script used by HP factory installers (HP BTO = Build To Order). If the file is small (under 100KB), try opening it with a text editor like Notepad++.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BTO file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert BTO file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use xLODGen or similar software from the "Game Object Level-of-Detail Data" 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 BTO, try xLODGen or another comparable tool in the "Game Object Level-of-Detail Data" 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 BTO converter.