DAE to GLTF Converter

DAE to GLTF Converter

Convert your COLLADA DAE files to modern glTF 2.0 format instantly. glTF is the "JPEG of 3D". The industry standard for web, mobile, AR/VR, and real-time rendering with PBR materials, Draco compression, and single-file GLB delivery. No software installation required.

Drag & drop your DAE file here

or click to browse (Max 50MB for free users)

Supported: .dae files only

Why Convert DAE to GLTF?

COLLADA (DAE) is verbose XML that's slow to parse. glTF is the modern replacement. Compact, binary-friendly, and built for the real-time web.

Web & Mobile Ready

glTF is designed to be transmitted and loaded efficiently in browsers. Use with three.js, Babylon.js, PlayCanvas, Google Model Viewer, and Apple AR Quick Look for instant web-based 3D.

PBR Materials Built-In

glTF 2.0 has native support for PBR metallic-roughness and specular-glossiness workflows. Your DAE materials get upgraded to industry-standard PBR during conversion.

Compact File Size

DAE files are large XML documents. glTF uses efficient binary encoding (GLB) that's typically 3-5x smaller, faster to download, faster to parse, and ideal for CDN hosting.

AR/VR Ready

glTF is the format for Apple AR Quick Look (iOS), Android Scene Viewer, Microsoft Mixed Reality, and WebXR. Convert DAE to glTF to deploy models in augmented and virtual reality.

About DAE to GLTF Conversion

Why convert DAE to GLTF?

COLLADA (DAE) is an older, XML-based interchange format originally designed for authoring tool data exchange. While widely supported in CAD and architectural tools (SketchUp, Revit, ArchiCAD), DAE files are verbose, slow to parse, and lack native PBR material support. glTF 2.0 is the modern "JPEG of 3D". A highly efficient, binary-friendly format built by the Khronos Group specifically for fast loading in web browsers, mobile devices, game engines, and AR/VR applications.

What is preserved during conversion?

Our converter preserves mesh geometry, UV coordinates, vertex normals, scene hierarchy, and object transforms. COLLADA materials are converted to glTF's PBR metallic-roughness workflow, diffuse/emissive/specular data maps to base color, emissive, and roughness/metallic channels. Texture references are preserved. Scene node transforms (position, rotation, scale) are maintained in the glTF hierarchy. Camera and light objects are preserved as glTF node extensions.

How to use the converted GLTF file

The glTF output (.gltf + .bin + textures) can be loaded directly into three.js, Babylon.js, PlayCanvas, Google Model Viewer, Facebook 3D Posts, Apple AR Quick Look, Android Scene Viewer, Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, Blender, and any glTF-compatible application. For single-file delivery, convert your .gltf to .glb (binary glTF) using our GLTF to GLB converter ideal for CDN hosting and e-commerce product viewers.

How to Convert DAE to GLTF

Three simple steps to upgrade your COLLADA models to modern glTF for web and real-time use.

1

Upload Your COLLADA File

Drag and drop your .dae file or click to browse. COLLADA files from SketchUp, Revit, Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender are supported. Free tier handles files up to 50MB.

2

Convert to glTF

Our cloud engine parses the COLLADA XML, extracts mesh/UV/material/scene data, and writes clean glTF 2.0 output with PBR materials. Materials are auto-upgraded from COLLADA's legacy model to metallic-roughness PBR.

3

Download & Deploy

Download your glTF package and load into three.js, Babylon.js, or your game engine. For single-file deployment, use our GLTF to GLB converter. Files auto-delete within 1 hour.

Related Converters

Migrating from COLLADA or working with glTF? These converters complete your pipeline.

GLTF to GLB
Convert text glTF to single-file binary GLB for CDN hosting and web delivery.
FBX to GLTF
Convert Autodesk FBX to glTF for web, mobile AR, and real-time engines.
OBJ to GLTF
Convert OBJ meshes to glTF with Draco compression and PBR material conversion.
USD to GLTF
Convert Pixar USD scenes to glTF for real-time web visualization.
DAE to OBJ
Convert COLLADA DAE to Wavefront OBJ for universal mesh compatibility.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

COLLADA (DAE) is an older XML-based interchange format from 2004 that stores everything as verbose text leading to large file sizes and slow parsing. glTF 2.0 (GL Transmission Format) is a modern format designed by the Khronos Group (2017) specifically for efficient transmission and loading. glTF uses compact JSON for scene description with binary data in separate buffers, supports native PBR materials, and is 3-5x smaller than equivalent DAE files. Think of DAE as a BMP and glTF as a JPEG optimized for delivery.
Yes. You can convert up to 3 files per day for free with files up to 50MB each. For unlimited conversions, file sizes up to 500MB, and batch processing, upgrade to Pro. Team plans support files up to 1GB.
Yes. Our converter maps COLLADA's legacy Phong/Blinn material properties to glTF's PBR metallic-roughness workflow. Diffuse color maps to baseColor, specular/glossiness data informs roughness and metallic values, and emissive colors are preserved. Texture references are kept intact. The result is a modern PBR material that renders correctly in three.js, Babylon.js, Unreal, Unity, and all glTF viewers.
Yes. Our converter preserves COLLADA skeletal animation data (bone hierarchies, keyframe transforms) and skinning data, converting them to glTF 2.0 animation and skin structures. Morph targets/blendshapes are also supported. However, COLLADA's animation support can vary across tools. SketchUp DAE exports typically don't include animation, while Maya and 3ds Max exports do.
glTF 2.0 is supported by three.js, Babylon.js, PlayCanvas, Google Model Viewer, Facebook 3D Posts, Apple AR Quick Look (iOS), Android Scene Viewer, Microsoft Mixed Reality, Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity, Godot, Blender (2.8+), Sketchfab, CesiumJS, and dozens of other engines and tools. It's the universal format for web and real-time 3D.
Absolutely. All uploads use TLS 1.3 encryption. Files are processed in isolated cloud environments and automatically deleted within 1 hour of upload. We never store, share, or inspect your 3D models beyond what's necessary for the conversion. Read our Privacy Policy for full details.
Free users can upload DAE files up to 50MB. Basic subscribers get 100MB, Pro subscribers get 500MB, and Team subscribers get 1GB per file. DAE files from architectural tools (SketchUp, Revit) can be large due to XML verbosity the output glTF will be significantly smaller.