What is the GEO file format?
Files with the .geo extension are primarily associated with two distinct 3D formats: the VRML-based geometry file and the legacy VideoScape 3D object. The more common variant is recorded in the VRML standard, providing a three-dimensional mapping of space in the form of vector graphics. They utilize the Virtual Reality Markup Language, now known as Virtual Reality Modelling Language, or VRML. This creates a 3D scene that can contain a variety of elements. Thanks to a suitable interface, users can explore this space. .geo files are used during simulations of the appearance of buildings or landscape elements.
A VRML-based .geo opens with a plain-text header such as #VRML V1.0 ascii or #VRML V2.0 utf8; the older VideoScape variant - originating on the Amiga in the mid-1980s - begins with the ASCII token 3DG1 followed by a vertex count and coordinate list.
.geo files can contain a detailed model of a piece of reality described by the VRML language. This format was created with the intention of sharing 3D scenes on the web. It has been replaced by the Extensible 3D - X3D standard, which offers greater capabilities. Interactive vector graphics described using VRML can include information about:
- vertices, edges, and faces
- colors and texture mapping
- light reflection parameters, transparency
- animations, sounds, and lighting
These files are human-readable and have a text format. Therefore, they can even be opened in a text editor. Some 3D modeling programs still support the VRML format, even though it is now considered obsolete. A related plain-mesh alternative is the .OBJ format, which similarly stores vertex and face data as ASCII text but without VRML's scene-graph features.
The GeoVRML consortium was established in 1998 to enable the modeling of three-dimensional geographic data using the 3D description language VRML. It developed extensions for the standard language, allowing files to cooperate with geographic applications. At the same time, it provides the ability to display models in a browser using standard plugins supporting VRML.
Note that the .geo extension is heavily overloaded: it is also used by TRUMPF TruTops sheet-metal CAD software and by terrain tools such as e-on Vue. Before selecting a tool, identify which kind of .geo file you have by checking its opening line.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA VRML/VideoScape .geo is a passive 3D geometry file (usually ASCII text) with no macro or script engine, so opening one is low-risk. Classic VRML could reference external URLs and, in some viewers, scripting nodes - only a concern with an untrusted VRML world in a scripting-capable browser plugin (those plugins are largely defunct now). The main practical pitfall is format confusion: a .geo might actually be a TRUMPF TruTops CAD file or GIS data, so verify the type before assuming a tool can open it. Avoid sketchy "GEO file opener" sites; 3D Object Converter, TurboCAD and MeshLab cover the real needs.
Format details
in a nutshell- TRUMPF TruTops sheet-metal CAD file - TruTops software writes .geo CAD files describing 3D parts and instructions for TRUMPF laser-cutting/punching/bending machines - an industrial meaning distinct from VRML.
- Geographic / GIS or Vue terrain data - Various GIS tools and e-on Vue use .geo for geographic/terrain data; a different domain that shares the extension.
Programs that open GEO files
Windows3 apps
3D Object Converter
Paid Open the .geo (it reads VideoScape GEO and many mesh formats), inspect it, then export to OBJ/DXF/3DS/STL. Shareware Windows utility. 
VRML / X3D viewer (view3dscene)
Open-source If the .geo is VRML, open it in view3dscene (or rename to .wrl first) to view and navigate the 3D scene. 
macOS1 app
VRML/X3D viewer or 3D converter
Open-source For VRML-type .geo, view in view3dscene; otherwise use a mesh converter (e.g. via Meshlab) to inspect/convert. 
Linux2 apps
MeshLab
Open-source Import the mesh (rename/convert VideoScape or VRML as needed) to view and re-export to OBJ/PLY/STL; free 3D mesh tool.
view3dscene (Castle Game Engine)
Open-source Open VRML/X3D content to view the 3D scene; rename a VRML .geo to .wrl if the loader needs it. Technical details
deep spec| File encoding | ASCII / UTF-8 plain text; no binary data in either variant |
| VRML header signature | `#VRML V1.0 ascii` or `#VRML V2.0 utf8` at byte offset 0 |
| VideoScape header signature | ASCII token `3DG1` at byte offset 0, followed by vertex count |
| VRML standard | VRML 1.0 (1995); VRML97 / ISO-IEC 14772-1:1997 |
| MIME type | `model/vrml`; legacy alias `x-world/x-vrml` |
| Compression | None - both variants are uncompressed plain text |
| Scene-graph model | Hierarchical node tree (VRML): transforms, shapes, materials, lights, sensors |
| Color and material | Per-face color index in VideoScape GEO; full material and texture nodes in VRML |
| Supported scene elements | Vertices, edges, faces, UV texture mapping, light sources, animations, sound nodes |
| Superseded by | X3D (XML-based Web3D standard, ISO-IEC 19775, 2004) |
| GeoVRML extension | Geographic coordinate nodes added by GeoVRML working group (1998); later absorbed into X3D |
| Platform origin | VideoScape GEO: Amiga (mid-1980s); VRML: cross-platform web standard |
| Extension conflicts | `.geo` also used by TRUMPF TruTops sheet-metal CAD and GIS/terrain tools (e.g. e-on Vue) |
| Released | VideoScape GEO (mid-1980s, Amiga); VRML 1.0 (1995), VRML97 / ISO-IEC 14772 (1997) |
| Latest version | VRML97 (superseded by X3D, 2004); VideoScape GEO unchanged |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.web3d.org |
GEO conversions
Community Q&A
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