Extract text from CAD cache files (CFI)
To convert CFI cache files to another format, you need AutoCAD or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Drawing Cache" file type, you need software like AutoCAD or a similar tool.
The .CFI file is a proprietary CAD drawing cache file. It is generated automatically by professional design software like AutoCAD and Nemetschek Allplan. These programs use .CFI files to store temporary data, drawing caches, and display indexes. This speeds up the rendering and loading times of complex architectural or engineering models.
Users often encounter .CFI files when navigating through project folders or transferring CAD projects. The primary disadvantage of a .CFI format is that it is purely supplemental. It does not contain the actual user-created drawing geometry in a standalone format. Instead, it relies entirely on the parent drawing file, such as a DWG or NDW. Furthermore, these files can become very large and consume unnecessary disk space if left unmanaged. You cannot open a .CFI file in standard text editors or image viewers.
Converting a .CFI file directly to a universal format like PDF or JPG is usually impossible because the file only holds temporary cache data, not the complete 3D model. To share a CAD drawing, you must open the primary project file in the original software and export it to a standard format like DXF or PDF.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because it is closed, proprietary, and undocumented. Standard online converters fail to process it because it lacks standard headers and image data. Often, only the original CAD software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CFI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PDF, DWG, BAK and CGM files.
If you want to convert CFI file to , you can use AutoCAD or similar software from the "CAD Drawing Cache" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to CFI, try AutoCAD or another comparable tool in the "CAD Drawing Cache" 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 CFI converter.