Extract text from CAD designs (RFD)
To convert RFD designs to another format, you need FrameCAD or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "Frame Design / Video Data" file type, you need software like FrameCAD or a similar tool.
The .RFD file extension is most commonly used for light steel frame design projects in FrameCAD software, or as Roof Designer files in Vertex BD. In other engineering contexts, it stores reinforcement data for CADS RebarCAD. Alternatively, a significant portion of .RFD files are older video containers created by URI Media, which rely on the standard RIFF internal file structure.
These CAD-based .RFD files are proprietary and locked to expensive, specialized software. You cannot open a FrameCAD or Vertex BD .RFD file natively in web browsers, standard image viewers, or free 3D modeling tools. Sharing these files with clients or contractors is highly frustrating because recipients require specific desktop environments and commercial licenses just to view the structural designs.
To share these files, users must convert them. The best targets for CAD-based .RFD files are standard PDF documents for simple 2D viewing, or DXF and DWG formats for broader CAD compatibility. For the video variant, converting to MP4 is recommended for reliable modern playback. Be aware that exporting a FrameCAD .RFD file to PDF will drop internal 3D layer data, material attributes, and parametric properties.
Because .RFD is a closed, proprietary format, standard online converters often fail to process it. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. However, just drag and drop your file to convert.guru to identify the format, inspect the file, and show text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as a RIFF video container - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RFD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RTF, RDF, JPG, FIG, VLM and LBK files.
If you want to convert RFD file to INDD, QXP, PUB, PMD, PM6, PM7, PM8, PM9, PM10, PM11, OMP or P65, you can use FrameCAD or similar software from the "CAD Design & Video Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MDI, PUB, PDP, PM4, P65, COMIC, WEBTEMPLATE, PMD, SPUB, INDD, PM5 or QXP files to RFD, try FrameCAD or another comparable tool in the "CAD Design & Video 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 RFD converter.