What is the PLOTDOC file format?
A .plotdoc file is a project created by the original Plotagon desktop application, a tool that turned written dialogue into 3D animated videos using text-to-speech voices. Plotagon was founded in Stockholm in 2013 and released in 2014, and its early desktop app saved each project in this format.
The file is written in .json, so it is plain, human-readable text rather than a compiled binary. It opens with basic metadata: the project's ID, its name, the date it was created and the date it was last updated. After that header it describes the project itself, including the characters, scenes, dialogue and timeline data that make up the animation. On Windows these files were stored in the AppData\LocalLow\Plotagon\Plotagon folder.
When the product was rebranded as Plotagon Studio, the project format changed to the binary .plot file. That makes .plotdoc a legacy format you are most likely to meet when opening old Plotagon projects or browsing an AppData folder.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .plotdoc file is plain JSON text with no executable code, so opening it in a text editor is safe. The only real risk is losing project data if the file is corrupted, since there is no built-in checksum or backup.
Format details
in a nutshell- ISSM plotdoc - In the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM), plotdoc is a documentation helper (plotdoc.js / plotdoc module), not a file type saved with a .plotdoc extension.
Programs that open PLOTDOC files
Windows3 apps
Notepad
Open-source Open the file in Notepad++ and use a JSON plugin to pretty-print and browse the structure. 
Plotagon Studio
Freemium Install Plotagon Studio to work with Plotagon projects, though current builds create and open the newer binary .plot format rather than legacy .plotdoc files. 
Visual Studio Code
Free Open the file in VS Code to view the JSON with syntax highlighting and formatting, which makes the nested project data easier to read. 
macOS2 apps
Visual Studio Code
Free Open the file in VS Code for a formatted, syntax-highlighted view of the JSON project data. 
Linux2 apps
Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | UTF-8 text |
| Container | JSON object |
| Typical size | A few kilobytes to low megabytes depending on the project |
| Structure | A JSON document that opens with project metadata (an ID, name, created-on date and last-updated date) followed by the serialized description of the animation project itself: characters, scenes, dialogue, actions and sound cues. |
| Integrity | None built in |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
| Notes | Legacy format from the original Plotagon desktop application. When the product became Plotagon Studio the project format switched to the binary .plot file, so new projects are no longer written as .plotdoc. Historically these files lived in the C:/Users/<user>/AppData/LocalLow/Plotagon/Plotagon folder on Windows. |
| Released | 2014 |
PLOTDOC conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about PLOTDOC files.
