Here is a list of best free OBJ to DAE converter software for Windows. Using these free software, you can easily convert a Wavefront OBJ file to a COLLADA (stands for COLLAborative Design Activity) file which uses .DAE file extension. Both these file formats are used to store 3D models and data. Besides OBJ to DAE, you can perform various other 3D model format conversions, such as PLY to OBJ, OBJ to STL, OBJ to STEP, PLY to DAE, etc.
Almost all these software are 3D modeling software which you can use to create 3D content. These software also let you open existing 3D models; hence, you can simply import an OBJ file and then convert it to DAE file format by simply using save or export feature. You can also modify imported OBJ file prior to conversion. These provide a variety of 3D model designing tools which can be used for editing the OBJ model. The most commonly provided tools include create meshes, extrude, intrude, sculpt, translate, scale, rotate, edit material, edit texture, etc.
All these are good 3D model viewers too as you get a feature rich set of viewing tools in these software. For example, multiple draw styles, perspective views, orthographic views, zoom, pan, rotate, etc. Plus, various handy model analysis tools are provided in these software which include measurement tools, inspect meshes, evaluate strength of a model, etc.
My Favorite Free OBJ to DAE Converter Software for Windows:
Wings 3D is a nice OBJ to DAE converter. It is a feature rich 3D modeling software which is also easy to operate. Plus, as it supports various common input and output 3D model formats, you can perform other conversions in it.
Autodesk Meshmixer is also good as you get additional model analysis tools in it.
Wings 3D
Wings 3D is a free open source OBJ to DAE converter software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Using it, you can open an OBJ file which you can export in the format of DAE. Apart from DAE, you can convert OBJ to a number of other formats including STL, 3DS, GLB, WRL, etc.
It is basically a 3D modeling software which offers a variety of 3D content designing tools. I really liked this software because it has a very user friendly GUI. You can easily view, create, edit, or convert 3D models of various formats in it.
How to convert OBJ to DAE in Wings 3D:
- Go its File menu and click on the Import > Wavefront (.obj) option to open an OBJ file.
- The imported model can now be modified with its designing tools such as extrude, shell extrude, intrude, bump, lift, subdivide, tessellate, rotate, scale, move, bevel, bridge, mirror, dissolve, hole, material editor, etc.
- Now, you can convert imported OBJ model to DAE format by using File > Export > Collada (.dae) option.
Additional Features:
- You can find some handy viewing tools in it to properly analyze a 3D model, e.g., wireframe, shade, scene lights, use hemisphere light, highlight aim, orthographic views, isometric views, etc.
- It provides various advanced selection options which help you in designing 3D models, such as select similar areas, select by (hard edges, isolated vertices, material edges, vertices with, faces with, UV mapped faces, etc.), select similar material, etc.
Conclusion:
Wings 3D is a great user-friendly 3D modeling software which you can use for 3D model file conversion too, including OBJ to DAE.
Autodesk Meshmixer
Autodesk Meshmixer is another free OBJ to DAE converter software for Windows and Mac. It is primarily a 3D mesh creation software which you can use to view and edit existing OBJ and other 3D models. After editing, you can export the OBJ model to a different format including DAE, 3MF, STL, PLY, VRML, etc.
How to convert OBJ to DAE using Autodesk Meshmixer:
- You first need to open an OBJ file which you want to convert to DAE by using its Import button.
- If required, you can use its designing tools to modify imported 3D model prior to conversion. It offers a good number of 3D modeling tools such as make solid, hollow, make pattern, 3D sculpting tools, surface stamping, align, plane cute, close cracks, mirror, scale, translate, rotate, duplicate, etc.
- Now, from its side toolbar, click on the Export button and select COLLADA format as output format to convert OBJ to DAE.
Additional Features:
- You get a dedicated 3D model analysis feature which lets you inspect defected meshes, make real-world measurements, make mesh query, evaluate optimal orientation, find stability and strength, etc.
- You get an inbuilt 3D printing feature in it.
Conclusion:
It is a nice free OBJ to DAE converter which can also be used for creating meshes from scratch as well as analyzing models in various aspects.
FreeCAD
FreeCAD is a free open source 3D model creation software for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It can also be used as an OBJ to DAE converter. You can simply open and view an OBJ file in it and then export it to DAE format. Prior to conversion, you have the flexibility to edit the OBJ model with the help of tools like create 2 point line, create polygon, create annotation, create face binder object, etc.
During my testing, it was not able to convert OBJ to DAE. I had to install an additional python script do that as it requires pyglet library to export COLLADA/ DAE file. In case you encounter the same error, first, install FreeCAD and Python software on your PC. After that, run the Command Prompt and enter this command: pip install pyglet. Now, restart FreeCAD and you will be able to convert OBJ to DAE using it.
How to convert OBJ to DAE in FreeCAD:
- At first, you need to input an OBJ file in it using its Open or Import feature.
- Now, edit input OBJ file using available 3D modeling tools, if required.
- At last, use its File menu > Export option to select DAE as output format and convert OBJ to DAE.
Additional Features:
- To create a specific kind of 3D model project, you get different workbenches and related set of tools, such as Part Design, Ship, Drawing, FEM, Raytracing, Robot, Sketcher, etc.
- Some more useful tools are provided in this software through which you can inspect scenes, measure distance, generate dependency graph, view turntable, etc.
Conclusion:
FreeCAD is one of the most popular 3D modeling software which you can also use to convert OBJ to DAE and other supported formats. But, for importing and exporting DAE files in it, you will have to install Python and pyglet library on your PC.
MeshLab
MeshLab is yet another free open source OBJ to DAE converter software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is basically a software which lets you create new 3D models. Using it, you can also import, view, and modify existing 3D models and then export them to other supported formats. With the help of its export function, you can easily convert 3D models including OBJ to DAE.
How to convert OBJ to DAE in MeshLab:
- Firstly, click on its File menu > Import Mesh option and open a 3D model saved in the OBJ file.
- Now, you can use various available tools in order to modify the imported OBJ file. Some of the tools provided by it include create meshes, translate, rotate, scale, align tool, painting options, edit referencing, etc.
- After modifying the model, go its File menu, hit the “Export Mesh As” option, select output format as Collada File Format (dae), and finally click the Save button to start OBJ to DAE conversion.
Additional Features:
- It provides a variety of model rendering options which you can use, such as various shaders, show box corners, show UV Tex Param, show quality histogram, show quality contour, enable shadow mapping, show curvature, etc.
- You get various filters in different categories to apply on a 3D model, such as point set, sampling, texture, cleaning and repairing, polygon and quad mesh, remeshing, simplification and reconstruction, color creation and processing, quality measures and computations, etc.
Conclusion:
MeshLab is a very nice software to convert OBJ files to DAE and other supported formats such as 3DS, PLY, STL, WRL, etc.
Blender
Blender is the next free software to convert OBJ to DAE. It is a popular free and open source 3D model and animation creator. In it, you can also import existing 3D models and then export them to another supported format, like other listed software. It supports OBJ to DAE conversion as well as conversions like PLY to OBJ, 3DS to FBX, OBJ to STL, DAE to FBX, etc.
Let’s see what are the steps required to convert OBJ to DAE using Blender.
How to convert an OBJ file to Collada (DAE) format in Blender:
- First, go to its File menu and from the Import option, select Wavefront (.obj) format to import respective file to it.
- Now again, go to the File menu and click on the Export > Collada (.dae) format to convert imported OBJ file to DAE.
Before conversion, you can edit the OBJ model by using tools like transformation tools (translate, rotate, scale), mirror, shading, mesh creation tools, animation options, rigid body tools, etc.
Additional Feature:
- You can use it to edit videos in MP4, 3GP, MOV, AVI, and other formats.
Conclusion:
Blender is an advanced 3D modeling software using which you can view, edit, and convert existing models like OBJ to DAE.
Daz Studio
Daz Studio is a professional software which lets you design advanced 3D models. It can be your another alternative to an OBJ to DAE converter software. Using it, you can also view, edit, and convert existing 3D models. For this purpose, it supports a few formats including OBJ, DAE, FBX, Poser files, etc. You can simply open an OBJ file and then save it in Collada file format.
How to convert OBJ to DAE using Daz Studio:
- Firstly, using its File > Import option, open an OBJ file in it.
- Now, if the model requires some changes, you can make adjustments and edit the model by using available tools such as Joint Editor, Geometry Editor, Spot Render, Animate, Translate, Scale, and more.
- At last, use its Export feature from the File menu and save the OBJ file in DAE format.
Before starting OBJ to DAE conversion, it lets you customize some output options including remove unused vertices, ignore invisible nodes, bake scale, merge skeletons, combine morphs, etc.
Additional Features:
- It can also be used for animating 3D models.
- In it, you can find a Create menu which lets you create geometry shell, node instances, spotlight, dForce wind node, etc.
Conclusion:
Daz Studio is an advanced 3D modeling software which can also be used for some small utilities including conversion of OBJ to DAE.
Note: This software can be downloaded only after registering a free account on its website. A DAZ Install Manager will be installed using the downloaded file. From this install manager, you have to manually select and install Daz Studio.
Open 3D Model Viewer
Open 3D Model Viewer, as the name suggests, is a free 3D model viewer which can be used as an OBJ to DAE converter. You can find a dedicated Export feature in it using which you can convert an opened 3D model to a supported output format. Apart from DAE, you can convert OBJ to formats like STL, 3DS, PLY, etc.
How to convert OBJ to DAE using Open 3D Model Viewer:
- First, open an OBJ file in it by dragging and dropping the file on its interface or using the dedicated open option.
- Next, select its Tools > Export feature which will open up a window where you need to select COLLADA (dae) as output format. Also, you can customize some other output options including use relative texture paths, include scene hierarchy, include animations, etc. After setting up output preferences, hit the Export button to start OBJ to DAE conversion process.
You can also save texture files separately.
Conclusion:
Try Open 3D Model Viewer if you want a nice 3D model viewer with an added ability to convert OBJ to DAE.
Bforartists
Bforartists is one more free open source OBJ to DAE converter software on this list. Like other software, it is also a 3D modeling software which can be used for viewing, analyzing, editing, and converting 3D models. It provides direct options to import an OBJ file and then export it to Collada i.e., DAE format. It can be used for converting various other 3D files formats including ABC, 3DS, FBX, X3D, STL, PLY, etc.
How to convert OBJ to DAE in Bforartists:
- You first need to open an OBJ file which you can do by using its File > Import > Wavefront (obj) option.
- Now, you can view and analyze the imported 3D model and then modify it if required. It provides a similar set of editing features which you can find in Blender, such as translate, transform, add/remove rigid bodies, shading, create meshes, add curves, surfaces, metaballs, lamps, etc., drawing tools, etc.
- When done with editing, you can start the OBJ to DAE conversion by clicking on its File > Export > Collada (.dae) option.
Additional Feature:
- This can be used as a video editing software to edit and create videos in various formats.
Conclusion:
It is a good OBJ to DAE converter which can be used by professionals to create and edit advanced 3D models.