Extract text from CATIA 3D models (CGR)
To convert CGR 3D models to another format, you need CATIA V5 or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "3D Visualization File" file type, you need software like CATIA V5 or a similar tool.
A .CGR file is most commonly a CATIA Graphical Representation file created by CATIA V5, a flagship CAD suite from Dassault Systèmes. It serves as a lightweight 3D "shrink-wrap" model. It stores only faceted mesh data (triangles) used purely for visual display, clash analysis, or digital mock-ups of massive engineering assemblies without loading the heavy mathematical solid data. A secondary use for the .CGR extension is as a compiled 3D scene or asset file for the Lumion architectural rendering engine or the legacy Quest3D engine.
The primary disadvantage of a .CGR file is that it is a "dumb" viewing format. It strips away parametric history, exact NURBS surfaces, and feature trees. You cannot modify the geometry or measure precise radii. Furthermore, it is a closed, proprietary format heavily locked into the Dassault Systèmes ecosystem. Standard CAD tools struggle to read it, and users often face the frustrating reality of needing an expensive software license just to view a simple visual mockup.
Users typically attempt to convert .CGR files to universal formats like STEP, IGES, or STL to collaborate with suppliers using different CAD platforms. Because a .CGR file only contains tessellated data, converting it to STEP will result in a faceted mesh rather than smooth, solid geometry, meaning you will lose all editable design history. However, if your goal is 3D printing, converting it to STL is highly practical since both formats rely on triangular meshes.
This file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert because it is strictly proprietary. Often, only the original authoring software can properly read or export the data. Standard online converters fail to process it because they lack the licensed, proprietary decoding libraries. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CGR file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 3DXML, CRG, CDR, STP, STL, CATPART, CBR, CATPRODUCT, ZIP, JPEG, CATDRAWING, X_T and SLDPRT files.
If you want to convert CGR file to CATPART, STP, STL, STEP, DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM or IGES, you can use CATIA V5 or similar software from the "Lightweight 3D Visualization" 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 CGR, try CATIA V5 or another comparable tool in the "Lightweight 3D Visualization" 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 CGR converter.