Extract text from SolidWorks part templates (PRTDOT)
To convert PRTDOT part templates to another format, you need SolidWorks or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Template File" file type, you need software like SolidWorks or a similar tool.
A .PRTDOT file is a SolidWorks Part Template created by SolidWorks, a professional 3D CAD program developed by Dassault Systèmes. It functions as a baseline file to standardize the creation of new parts. It stores crucial default settings such as document properties, units of measurement, drafting standards, materials, and initial base geometry. Internally, these files are structured using the Microsoft Compound File Binary Format.
This format is heavily proprietary and locked into the SolidWorks ecosystem. The primary disadvantage is that you typically need a costly software subscription just to open or edit it. Standard web browsers, general image viewers, and basic 3D tools cannot read .PRTDOT files natively. Furthermore, because it is specifically designed as a template rather than a standard part, extracting useful geometric data from it can be extremely frustrating for users who lack the native CAD environment.
Most users trying to convert a .PRTDOT file want to extract its base 3D geometry into standard, neutral formats. The best conversion targets are STEP or IGES for cross-platform CAD sharing, or STL for 3D printing. Alternatively, converting it to a standard SLDPRT file makes it usable as a regular part. Be aware that converting any SolidWorks file to a neutral format strips the parametric feature history, leaving behind only a static boundary representation model (a 'dumb solid').
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert. Because the data structure is closed and proprietary, standard online converters almost always fail to process it. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the parametric data. However, just drag and drop your file into convert.guru to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Our diagnostic tools can inspect the underlying Microsoft Compound structure to show text metadata or embedded preview images, even if a direct 3D mesh conversion is impossible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PRTDOT file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted SLDASM, STL and SLDPRT files.
If you want to convert PRTDOT file to DWG, DXF, DGN, RVT, RFA, SKP, 3DM, STEP, IGES, SAT, X_T or X_B, you can use SolidWorks or similar software from the "3D CAD Part Template" 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 PRTDOT, try SolidWorks or another comparable tool in the "3D CAD Part Template" 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 PRTDOT converter.