Extract text from XSI files
To convert your XSI file to another format, you need Autodesk Softimage or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "3D Scene File" file type, you need software like Autodesk Softimage or a similar tool.
The .xsi extension is primarily associated with Softimage 3D, a legendary 3D animation software acquired by Autodesk and permanently discontinued in 2014. These files, known as dotXSI, store 3D scenes, character models, and animation data in either ASCII (text) or binary formats. Because the software has been End-of-Life (EOL) for over a decade, opening these files is a significant challenge for modern studios and archivists. The native software required to open them, Autodesk Softimage (formerly Softimage|XSI), is no longer sold or supported, creating a "digital dark age" lock-in for these assets.
While dotXSI was designed to be an open, extensible format, modern tools like Blender and Maya do not have native, one-click import support for .xsi files. Users typically need to locate a legacy installation of Softimage to export the data to FBX or OBJ. In rare cases (approx. 13%), a .xsi file may simply be a generic XML data file mislabeled with the XML Schema Instance (xsi) suffix, which can be opened with any text editor like Notepad++.
Convert.Guru analyzes your XSI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted XSL, SCN, XSN, DMP and DB files.
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 XSI converter.