Extract text from finite element models (FEM)
To convert FEM models to another format, you need Altair OptiStruct or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "Simulation Model File" file type, you need software like Altair OptiStruct or a similar tool.
The .FEM file extension is predominantly used for Finite Element Model files in Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and simulation software. These files store critical structural data, including node coordinates, element connectivity matrices, material properties, and physical boundary conditions. The most common platforms generating .FEM files are Altair OptiStruct, Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM), and Siemens NX.
Users often need to convert .FEM files to collaborate with engineers using different solver ecosystems, such as ANSYS, Abaqus, or Nastran. The primary disadvantage of the .FEM format is extreme industry fragmentation. A .FEM file exported by Siemens NX is structurally incompatible with one from FEMM or DNV Sesam. These files are deeply proprietary, frequently exceed gigabytes in size, and usually require a costly monthly subscription to specialized software just to open. Because they are highly specific to localized physics domains, standard web browsers and document viewers cannot read them.
When conversion is necessary, the ideal target formats are solver-neutral text decks like BDF (Nastran), INP (Abaqus), or geometry standards like STEP and IGES. Be aware that migrating between different FEA solvers almost always results in data loss, particularly regarding complex material definitions and custom boundary constraints.
Because .FEM files rely on closed, vendor-specific definitions, standard online converters universally fail to process them. Often, only the exact software that originally authored the file can correctly parse it. Our analysis engine will inspect the file signatures, determine the exact software variant, and display any readable text or database records. Since some .FEM variants (like SAP PowerDesigner models) are built on simple XML or SQLite architectures, we can often extract usable data even when native 3D rendering is impossible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FEM file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DPI, CYT and CYI files.
If you want to convert FEM file to , you can use Altair OptiStruct or similar software from the "Finite Element Analysis Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to FEM, try Altair OptiStruct or another comparable tool in the "Finite Element Analysis 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 FEM converter.