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Home > Supported File Formats > Pro/Engineer to DirectX


How to convert Pro/Engineer (ProE,Pro/E,.asm,.prt) to DirectX (.x)?


PolyTrans|CAD+DCC performs mathematically precise CAD, DCC/Animation, GIS and BIM 3D file conversions into all key downstream 3D packages and file formats. Okino software is used and trusted throughout the world by many tens of thousands of 3D professionals in mission & production critical environments, backed by respectable personal support directly from our core development team.

     

Pro/Engineer

Creo is a family of Computer-aided design (CAD) apps supporting product design for discrete manufacturers and is developed by PTC. The suite consists of apps, each delivering a distinct set of capabilities for a user role within product development. They generally compete with SolidWorks, UG NX, CATIA, Solid Edge and Autodesk Inventor.

For over 3 decades Okino has been a primary conversion partner of PTC, especially for our core business focussing on the conversion of their native ProE/Creo (ASM and PRT) and ProductView (PVS, PVZ) files.

Their current product naming can be a bit confusing:

  • Creo Elements/Pro - previously Pro/Engineer
  • Creo Elements/Direct - previously CoCreate
  • Creo Elements/View - previously ProductView

Okino licenses the real and actual ProE/Creo runtime toolkits from PTC directly and hence can guarantee perfect file conversions. Suggested conversion methods include:

  • Via native 'Creo Elements Pro' (Pro/E) files, .asm and .prt.

  • Via PTC .neutral assembly and part files.

  • Via STEP and IGES files.

  • Via native ProductView PVS/PVZ files.

     

DirectX

.x files are the native 3D file format of the legacy Microsoft DirectX v2/v3 API and 3D toolkit. They were generally associated with 3D gaming whereby low polygon meshes with skinning (deformation) and "animation sets/clips" were the required norm. At the time of its introduction in 1995 there really wasn't any other similar 3D file formats which supported these capabilities in one, well defined and easily accessible format. Direct3D shipped for the first time in the DirectX 2.0 SDK in June 1996

Historically, the DirectX technology was developed a company called Rendermorphics of the UK which Microsoft purchased in February 1995. As little known history, 3 companies in the UK developed advanced realtime rendering toolkits prior to 1995: Argonaut Software (BRender), Criterion Software (RenderWare) and Rendermorphics (Reality Lab). Microsoft was to license the Argonaut 3D toolkit but opted to purchase the entire Rendermorphics company instead, at the last moment. As these various toolkits often sold for $50k at that time, the other two competitors eventually went out of business once Microsoft started giving DirectX away for free.

Okino knows of the .x file format well as it was the first company to properly and fully implement a DirectX importer and exporter, including full support for skinning and animation at a time when no other software provided such conversion support.

The DirectX file format had a long life until some people inside and outside of Microsoft started to push the FBX file format instead.