Why convert KMZ to OBJ?
OBJ is widely supported by 3D modelers, renderers, and game engines. If a KMZ was exported from SketchUp or another 3D tool for placement on the Google Earth globe, it bundles a COLLADA file with the mesh geometry. Converting that to OBJ makes the geometry available in tools like Blender and other 3D applications.
How to convert KMZ to OBJ
Blender OPEN-SOURCE
Rename the .kmz to .zip, extract the .dae file (and texture images) from inside, import via File > Import > Collada (.dae), and export via File > Export > Wavefront (.obj).
Programs that convert KMZ
About these formats
.KMZ
Keyhole Markup Language Zipped (Google Earth)
A KMZ file is a ZIP-compressed Google Earth map - it holds placemarks, routes, polygons, image overlays and sometimes 3D models in one portable package. Open it with the free Google Earth…
Open .KMZ details →
.OBJ
Wavefront OBJ (3D geometry)
An OBJ file is a 3D model in the Wavefront OBJ format - a plain-text list of vertices, faces, and surface normals. Open it free with Blender, the Microsoft 3D Viewer on Windows, or…
Open .OBJ details →Quality & what to watch
- Most KMZ files from Google Earth or Google My Maps contain only geographic data - placemarks, routes, area polygons - and have no 3D mesh; they cannot be converted to OBJ.
- The actual conversion is
.daeto.obj; the KMZ is just a ZIP wrapper around the COLLADA file and its textures. - Georeferencing (GPS placement on the globe) is lost - OBJ has no concept of geographic coordinates.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my KMZ contains a 3D model?
.kmz to .zip and open it; if you see a .dae file inside, the KMZ contains a 3D model - if there is only a doc.kml and images, it is map data with no mesh.The OBJ result has no textures - why?
.dae file and kept in the same folder; if they were missing during the Blender import, the exported OBJ will also lack textures.
