What is the FC2 file format?
An .fc2 file is a Poser Face Pose document used by Poser, the long-running 3D character animation application. It stores facial morph and pose data - expression shapes, phoneme mouth positions, and eye-movement parameters - to be applied to a character in Poser's Face Room.
The file is text-based (ASCII/UTF-8), structured similarly to other Poser native types such as .cr2 character files and .pp2 prop files. It opens with a Version header line followed by a version number, then a sequence of hierarchical key-value records defining morph target weights for each facial channel. Because the file stores only numeric morph values rather than geometry, .fc2 files are compact - typically 1 KB to 50 KB.
Poser supports a compressed sibling format, .fcz, which is a gzip-compressed .fc2 and is handled identically by the application. .fc2 files saved in older versions remain compatible through Poser 13, released by Bondware, who acquired Poser from Smith Micro Software in June 2019.
To apply a face pose, the file is loaded via Poser's Face Room, where its morph values are transferred onto the active 3D figure. The format is not used by any other major 3D application.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWFC2 is a plain text pose data file with no executable code. Safe to open in Poser. Exercise normal caution with downloaded content packs from unknown sources.
Format details
in a nutshell- FishCat 2 data file - A niche fishing software reportedly uses .fc2 for data storage - extremely rare.
Programs that open FC2 files
Windows1 app
Poser 13
Paid In Poser, switch to the Face Room, then use the Load Face button or drag the .fc2 from the Poses library to apply the face pose to a figure. 
macOS1 app
Poser 13
Paid In Poser on macOS, switch to the Face Room and load the .fc2 through the Poses library panel. Technical details
deep spec| File encoding | Text (ASCII / UTF-8) |
| Compression | None; compressed sibling format is `.fcz` (gzip-compressed) |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 50 KB |
| File identification | `Version` keyword at byte offset 0 (text header; no binary magic bytes) |
| Internal structure | Version header followed by hierarchical key-value records defining morph target weights per facial channel |
| Data stored | Morph target weights for facial expression channels, phoneme mouth shapes, and eye-movement parameters |
| Application within Poser | Applied to 3D figures via Poser's Face Room panel |
| Related Poser formats | `.cr2` (character), `.pp2` (prop), `.pz3` (scene), `.fcz` (compressed face pose) |
| Platform | Windows, macOS |
| Version compatibility | Poser 4 (c. 1998) through Poser 13 (Bondware, 2023) |
| Developer lineage | Fractal Design → MetaCreations → Curious Labs → Smith Micro Software → Bondware (2019-present) |
| Format type | Proprietary text-based document using Poser's native scene language |
| Released | Circa 1997-1999 (Poser 3-4 era when face room features were introduced) |
| Latest version | Compatible through Poser 13 (Bondware, 2023) |
| Specification | www.posersoftware.com |
FC2 conversions
Community Q&A
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