What is the I3D file format?
.i3d is a file format used for storing 3D scene data for games built on the GIANTS Engine. Despite appearing in older databases as a Houdini 3D texture format, .i3d is the native scene descriptor developed by GIANTS Software GmbH - best known from the Farming Simulator series.
Each .i3d file is a plain XML text document, UTF-8 encoded, with <i3d> as the root element. It organises the scene into up to seven sections: Files (texture and shader references), Materials, Shapes (geometry references), Dynamics, Scene (transform hierarchy), Animation, and UserAttributes. Actual mesh geometry is not embedded in the .i3d file itself - it is stored in a companion .i3d.shapes binary file. External textures are typically in DDS format and referenced by path.
The format has been in use since approximately 2008 and continues to evolve with the engine. GIANTS Software provides official exporter plugins for Blender and Maya via their Developer Network (GDN), enabling modders and third-party studios to create content for GIANTS Engine titles. The .i3d format is exclusive to the GIANTS Engine ecosystem and is not supported by general-purpose 3D authoring tools without these plugins. GIANTS Editor and the Blender plugin are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPlain XML text file; inspect in any text editor before opening in GIANTS Editor. No executable code.
Format details
in a nutshell- Houdini Image 3D (i3d) - Side Effects Software uses .i3d for a proprietary volumetric texture/simulation data format in Houdini; entirely unrelated to GIANTS Engine.
- HAS-Motion Inspect3D Workspace - HAS-Motion uses .i3d for motion capture workspace files in their Inspect3D software.
Programs that open I3D files
Windows2 apps
Blender (with GIANTS Blender Plugin)
Open-source Install the GIANTS Blender Plugin from GDN, then File → Import → GIANTS I3D. 
macOS2 apps
Blender (with GIANTS Blender Plugin)
Open-source Install GIANTS Blender Plugin, then File → Import → GIANTS I3D. 
Linux1 app
Technical details
deep spec| File type | XML-based 3D scene descriptor (plain text) |
| MIME type | application/xml |
| Encoding | UTF-8 plain text |
| Root XML element | <i3d> |
| Scene sections | Up to 7: Files, Materials, Shapes, Dynamics, Scene, Animation, UserAttributes |
| Geometry storage | External companion .i3d.shapes binary file - mesh data is not embedded in the XML |
| Texture format | External DDS files referenced by relative path within the scene XML |
| Typical file size | 5 KB - 5 MB for the XML scene file; companion .i3d.shapes is typically larger |
| Engine compatibility | GIANTS Engine (all generations); schema versioned per engine release - current generation powers Farming Simulator 25 |
| Modding tools | Official Blender and Maya exporter plugins distributed via GIANTS Developer Network (GDN) |
| Platform support | Windows, macOS, Linux (via GIANTS Editor and Blender plugin) |
| Schema documentation | GIANTS Developer Network (GDN); schema evolves with each major engine version |
| Released | circa 2008 (Farming Simulator series) |
| Latest version | I3D schema as of GIANTS Engine 9/10 (Farming Simulator 25, 2024) |
| Specification | gdn.giants-software.com |
I3D conversions
Community Q&A
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