Extract text from P-CAD ASCII libraries (LIA)
To convert LIA libraries to another format, you need Altium Designer or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "EDA Library File" file type, you need software like Altium Designer or a similar tool.
The .LIA file is a legacy PCB Component Library used primarily by older versions of P-CAD and modern Altium Designer. These files store ASCII-formatted electronic design automation (EDA) data, containing schematic symbols, printed circuit board (PCB) footprints, and component attributes. Hardware engineers use them to maintain standardized libraries of electronic parts for circuit board design.
The main disadvantage of the .LIA format is its proprietary, legacy status. It requires an expensive, specialized Electronic Computer-Aided Design (ECAD) software license to open and edit properly. While standard text editors can read the underlying ASCII data, the raw text is massive, unformatted, and practically useless for human interpretation. Furthermore, you cannot view .LIA files graphically in a standard web browser, making cross-team collaboration difficult without native software.
Engineers usually need to convert .LIA files into modern Altium formats like .SchLib, .PcbLib, or compiled .IntLib files. You may also want to extract component pinouts and attributes to a CSV for inventory management. Because this is a highly specialized CAD library format, standard online converters fail to process it. Often, only the original ECAD software can properly read or export the complex geometric data. However, convert.guru can still identify the file format, inspect the ASCII file structure, and show the internal text. Just drag and drop your file to see what it is and convert it if supported.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LIA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, PCB, DDB and DRL files.
If you want to convert LIA file to DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use Altium Designer or similar software from the "PCB Component Library 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 LIA, try Altium Designer or another comparable tool in the "PCB Component Library 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 LIA converter.