Free online DAE viewer
Drop a .dae with the images it names, as a folder or the zip it came in. The file states its unit and its up axis, and the viewer honours both, so the model stands at its real size.
How to open a DAE
- Drop the .dae together with its textures: select the model and the image files, drop the whole folder, or drop the zip.
- The model appears upright and at scale: the file says which axis is up and how long its unit is in metres, and both are applied. The panel shows what it said.
- Check the texture list for images the file asks for that were not among your files, and press play if the file brought an animation.
What Collada holds
A DAE is XML: meshes, materials that name image files by path, a skeleton with skin weights, shape keys and animation, plus a unit and an up axis. It contains no images, which is why a .dae dropped alone opens grey. Files from Blender and current exporters read cleanly; files from older Maya and 3ds Max plug-ins, SketchUp and game rippers vary, and the panel names what it could not read.
Limits
Files over 100 MB are refused. Only the first animation clip plays. Physics, lights and cameras are ignored.
Frequently asked questions
Can a DAE become a VRM?
When it holds a rigged humanoid, yes: convert it to GLB first on the DAE to GLB pair, then to VRM on the GLB to VRM converter. The skeleton and the shape keys survive both steps.
The model opened grey.
The .dae names images that were not among the files you dropped. Drop the folder or the zip, so the images come along.
Is the size right?
Yes, where the file declares it. A DAE states its unit and up axis; both are applied, and the panel shows the declared values.
It plays only one animation.
The viewer plays the first clip in the file. For more, convert to GLB, where every clip is listed by name.
Is the file uploaded?
No. The XML and the images are read in your browser.
Can I convert it?
Yes: the DAE to GLB, FBX and OBJ pairs read the same file, zipped with its textures.
Collada somewhere current
The DAE to GLB converter turns the file into one .glb with the textures inside, for web viewers and engines that stopped reading Collada years ago.