Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your CDL file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.
Convert CDL to another file type
To convert your CDL file to another format, you need SignLab or other Cad software.
Convert a file to CDL
To convert other file formats to the "Vinyl Cutting & Data Definition" file type, you need software like SignLab or a similar tool.
About CDL files
The .CDL extension represents a significant file identification challenge because it is shared by three distinct, incompatible industries: vector signage, scientific data, and video post-production.
SignLab Drawing (Primary): Created by SignLab (CADlink), these are vector graphics files used for professional vinyl cutting and large-format printing. They contain cut paths, contours, and layer data. The Challenge: This format is highly proprietary. Users often find themselves locked out of their own designs if they lose access to the specific version of SignLab used to create the file. They cannot be opened in standard vector tools like Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW without conversion.
NetCDF Network Common Data Form Language: Used in scientific computing (meteorology, oceanography), this is an ASCII text representation of binary NetCDF data. It defines the structure (dimensions, variables, attributes) of a dataset. The Challenge: While human-readable, it is not a usable data file for analysis software until compiled into a binary NC file.
ASC Color Decision List: An XML-based format standardized by the American Society of Cinematographers to exchange primary color grading information (Slope, Offset, Power, Saturation) between on-set tools and post-production software like DaVinci Resolve.
Conversion Solutions:
For Signage: Convert to PDF or EPS to preserve vector paths for printing or editing in other CAD software.
For Science: Compile CDL text to binary NC files using the ncgen utility for use in data analysis tools.
For Video: Convert ASC CDL data into LUT (Look Up Table) formats or import directly into grading suites.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert CDL file to PDF, AI, DXF, SCHEMATIC, DWG, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP or IGES, you can use SignLab or similar software from the "Vector Graphics & Scientific Data" 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 CDL, try SignLab or another comparable tool in the "Vector Graphics & Scientific Data" category.
The CDL 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 CDL converter.