Extract text from Product data or tax files (P21)
To convert P21 Data files to another format, you need STEP Viewers or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "STEP Data Model" file type, you need software like STEP Viewers or a similar tool.
The .P21 file format predominantly functions as a STEP product data exchange file defined by the ISO 10303 STEP standard. It acts as a clear-text encoding mechanism to store 3D CAD models, express data models, and cutting tool data (SCADEC). In a smaller percentage of cases, .P21 files are proprietary Canadian or US tax return files created by Intuit ProFile or TurboTax.
The disadvantages of the .P21 format are numerous. For CAD professionals, the plain text structure results in massive file sizes that exceed 100MB, taking a long time to parse in typical 3D software. For tax software users, the format is completely proprietary and locked behind expensive annual software subscriptions. These tax files are essentially useless without the exact year and version of the software used to create them.
You should convert .P21 files to modern, accessible formats whenever possible. For 3D CAD data, converting to STEP, IGES, or STL ensures the model can be opened in universal viewers and 3D printers. For tax returns, generating a PDF is strictly required for long-term document archiving, as older tax software will inevitably become unsupported or incompatible with new operating systems.
Because .P21 files contain either highly specific ISO STEP schemas or encrypted proprietary tax data, standard online converters usually fail. Often, only the original CAD or tax software can properly read or export the data. Our system inspects the file's internal structure, and if it detects a supported underlying CAD text model or embedded data, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your P21 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ZIP, X_T, DB1 and PT files.
If you want to convert P21 file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use STEP Viewers or similar software from the "STEP Product Data Exchange" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, DAE, X3D, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP, 3DS, 3DM, OBJ, STEP or FBX files to P21, try STEP Viewers or another comparable tool in the "STEP Product Data Exchange" 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 P21 converter.