Extract text from WinTrack object files (TE3)
To convert TE3 object files to another format, you need WinTrack or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "Model Railway Object File" file type, you need software like WinTrack or a similar tool.
A .TE3 file is a 3D object file utilized by WinTrack, a popular track planning software for model railways. Hobbyists use these files to populate their digital track layouts with 3D models of scenery elements, including buildings, trees, vehicles, and locomotives. While WinTrack includes a built-in 3D editor for these assets, the .TE3 format itself is highly proprietary.
The major disadvantage of this format is that it is strictly locked into the WinTrack ecosystem. Standard 3D modeling programs like Blender, AutoCAD, or SketchUp cannot read these files natively. This creates a frustrating barrier for users who want to use their detailed train and scenery models in other 3D software, or who want to prepare them for physical manufacturing.
To use these models externally, users need to convert .TE3 files to standard 3D formats like OBJ, STL, or DXF. Converting to STL is especially popular among hobbyists looking to 3D print custom scenery for their physical model railroads. However, converting these files may strip out WinTrack-specific properties, such as track snap points or scale parameters.
The .TE3 format is notoriously difficult to open or convert because it uses a highly specialized, text-based coordinate system tailored exclusively for WinTrack's proprietary rendering engine. Standard online 3D converters usually fail to process it because they expect standard polygon meshes.
Convert.Guru analyzes your TE3 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
If you want to convert TE3 file to , you can use WinTrack or similar software from the "3D Railway Scenery Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to TE3, try WinTrack or another comparable tool in the "3D Railway Scenery 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 TE3 converter.