Convert SLDPRT to OBJ

A game engine, 3D viewer, renderer, or fabrication application may require an OBJ mesh instead of a SOLIDWORKS part file. Conversion transfers the part’s visible geometry but removes its editable CAD history and feature structure.

What the SLDPRT format is

.sldprt is the native part format used by SOLIDWORKS. It can contain parametric B-rep geometry, feature history, sketches, dimensions, configurations, appearances, materials, and multiple solid bodies. SOLIDWORKS assemblies use .sldasm, while drawings use .slddrw.

Engineers, product designers, manufacturers, suppliers, and engineering-documentation teams use SLDPRT files. The design history normally requires SOLIDWORKS or a CAD translator; mesh applications cannot edit its sketches, constraints, or feature operations.

What the OBJ format is

.obj is a widely supported, text-based polygon-mesh format. It stores vertices, faces, normals, texture coordinates, and optional references to material data in a separate .mtl file. Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Unity, Unreal Engine, rendering software, visualization tools, and some 3D-printing workflows can import it.

OBJ is suitable when the receiving application needs a surface mesh rather than exact parametric CAD geometry. It does not preserve sketches, constraints, feature trees, configurations, dimensions, or editable solid operations.

Convert with SOLIDWORKS

1. Open the SLDPRT file and activate the configuration and body visibility state you want to export.
2. Choose File → Save As.
3. Set the file type to OBJ (*.obj), enter a destination, and open Options if available.
4. Choose export units that match the receiving application. OBJ has no universally enforced unit definition, so the importer must interpret the model scale correctly.
5. Adjust tessellation or mesh-quality settings. Use tighter deviation and angle tolerances for curved or precision-critical surfaces; use coarser settings for real-time graphics or smaller files.
6. Save the OBJ, then inspect it in the target software for scale, orientation, missing faces, faceting, and materials.

OBJ export availability and option names vary by SOLIDWORKS release and installation. If OBJ is absent from Save As, use a compatible translator rather than assuming that an add-in will work with every release.

Convert with CAD Exchanger

1. Install CAD Exchanger Desktop from the vendor’s official site and open the SLDPRT file.
2. Check the imported part, then choose File → Export and select Wavefront OBJ.
3. Set the export units and tessellation quality, then write the OBJ file.
4. Keep the generated .mtl file beside the .obj file when the destination uses material or texture references.

CAD Exchanger Desktop can be useful without SOLIDWORKS, but SLDPRT support and export features depend on the product version and license. CAD Exchanger Cloud provides a browser-based option for supported files: upload the part, choose OBJ as the output format, configure the available mesh settings, and download the result. Do not upload confidential engineering data unless your organization permits the service.

Check scale and mesh quality

Tessellation is the main quality setting. A coarse mesh creates visible faceting and may erase small holes, fillets, thin walls, or patterned details. An excessively fine mesh increases file size, import time, and memory use without improving an image rendered at the target resolution.

OBJ does not reliably carry source units. Record whether the SLDPRT model uses millimeters, inches, or another unit, then set the same unit or import scale in Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, the renderer, or the receiving CAD application. Also check the coordinate orientation because different programs use different up-axis conventions.

A part containing multiple bodies may export as separate groups or as one mesh, depending on the exporter. Suppressed, hidden, or nonactive configurations may not appear, so set the required configuration and visibility before exporting. An assembly must be converted from its .sldasm file with its referenced component files; converting one component SLDPRT does not reproduce the assembly.

Exact CAD topology, feature history, dimensions, and design intent are lost. Use STEP or Parasolid instead when the recipient needs reliable solid geometry or manufacturing edits; use OBJ for visualization, animation, game assets, and other polygon-based workflows.