Extract text from FreeCAD backup files (FCSTD1)
To convert FCSTD1 backups to another format, you need FreeCAD or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Backup File" file type, you need software like FreeCAD or a similar tool.
The .FCSTD1 file is an automatic backup document created by FreeCAD, an open-source parametric 3D CAD modeler. Whenever a user saves a standard FreeCAD project (FCSTD), the software saves the previous version with the .FCSTD1 extension. Under the hood, this file is actually a ZIP archive containing XML files for the document structure and BREP files for the 3D shape geometry.
Users typically encounter .FCSTD1 files when trying to recover lost work or when cleaning up shared project folders. The main disadvantage of this format is its extremely narrow software support. Because it is a proprietary backup file, standard 3D viewers and online converters will reject it, often failing simply because of the "1" at the end of the extension.
To make this 3D model accessible to other software or to a 3D printer, you must convert it to universal CAD formats like STEP and IGES, or mesh formats like STL and OBJ. Keep in mind that exporting to mesh formats like STL will completely drop the solid properties and parametric history, leaving you with a static exterior shell.
Native parametric CAD files are notoriously difficult to convert online. Translating the mathematical history of a model requires the original software's exact computational engine. Often, the only reliable way to properly interpret or export the data is to open it directly in FreeCAD. However, you can drag and drop your .FCSTD1 file into convert.guru to identify the format, inspect the internal ZIP structure, and view the raw XML data. If our analysis detects a supported embedded geometry file, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FCSTD1 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted FCSTD, PDF, BREP and C4D files.
If you want to convert FCSTD1 file to DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use FreeCAD or similar software from the "3D Model Backup 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 FCSTD1, try FreeCAD or another comparable tool in the "3D Model Backup 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 FCSTD1 converter.