Free online GLTF to DAE converter

A simulator, 3D editor, game tool, or archiving system may accept Collada .dae but not glTF. Converting the asset creates a file that those applications can import, while retaining as much geometry, material, texture, animation, and scene data as their format support allows.

What the glTF format is

glTF (GL Transmission Format) is an open 3D delivery format from the Khronos Group, designed for efficient loading in browsers, mobile applications, game engines, and other real-time software. A .gltf file contains JSON scene data and normally references separate mesh data in a .bin file and images for textures. The binary .glb variant packages the scene, buffers, and usually textures into one file.

Modeling applications, game engines, CAD-to-web exporters, 3D viewers, and asset libraries commonly use glTF for web-ready or physically based rendering (PBR) assets. A glTF scene can include meshes, materials, textures, cameras, lights, node hierarchies, skeletal animation, and morph targets, although support depends on the exporter and extensions used.

What the DAE format is

DAE is the filename extension for COLLADA, an XML-based 3D interchange format. It can describe meshes, materials, texture references, cameras, lights, scene hierarchies, skeletons, skin weights, and animation data. Its XML structure is human-readable and supported by many older, specialized, and simulation-oriented applications.

DAE is useful when the destination software supports COLLADA but lacks a glTF importer. Its broad legacy compatibility is its main practical advantage; it is not generally smaller or faster than glTF, and application support for individual COLLADA features varies substantially.

How to convert the file with Blender

1. Install a current Blender version that includes the legacy COLLADA importer and exporter. If the commands are absent, enable the corresponding import/export extension from Blender’s Preferences or use a Blender release that provides it.
2. For a .gltf source, keep the .gltf, referenced .bin, and all image files in their original relative folder structure. Missing dependencies cause incomplete geometry or untextured materials. A self-contained .glb file avoids most of these path problems.
3. Open Blender and choose File → Import → glTF 2.0 (.glb/.gltf). Select the source file and inspect the imported scene for missing meshes, textures, incorrect scale, and unexpected rotation.
4. Correct the scene if required. If the destination expects object transforms to be baked into the exported geometry, select the relevant objects and use Object → Apply → Rotation & Scale. Keep a copy of the original scene before applying changes.
5. Choose File → Export → Collada (.dae). In the export options, use Selection Only when only selected objects belong in the output, set the forward and up axes required by the destination application, and enable available material or texture export options.
6. Save the result as model.dae. Keep the exported DAE and any copied texture images together unless the destination application embeds or relocates those resources.
7. Reopen the DAE in the target program and check mesh geometry, scale, coordinate orientation, texture paths, materials, armatures, and animation playback. A successful export message does not prove that every scene feature imported correctly.

Using 101convert.com

You can convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing software. Upload the .gltf file and its dependent .bin and image files if requested, select DAE as the output, start the conversion, and download the generated .dae. A .glb source is usually simpler because it normally contains the required resources in one file.

Quality and compatibility limits

• glTF commonly uses PBR materials, while many COLLADA importers reduce them to diffuse, specular, or Phong-style materials. Metallic-roughness values, normal maps, emissive maps, transparency, and reflections may change or disappear.
• External texture references can break when the DAE is moved without its image directory. Test the exported file from its final location and repair relative paths when necessary.
• Animations, skinning, morph targets, cameras, and lights depend on both the Blender COLLADA exporter and the destination importer. Test animated assets rather than validating only a static viewport.
• Coordinate systems and unit conventions differ between applications. Incorrect axis settings can rotate or mirror a model, and inconsistent units can change its apparent size.
• Geometry may require triangulation, material reassignment, or transform changes during export. Preserve the original glTF or GLB because DAE conversion is not lossless for every glTF feature or extension.