The Complete OBJ to DGN Conversion Guide

This guide is part of the RapidPipeline 3D Formats Knowledge Database.It shows how to convert OBJ to DGN, if you'd like to know more about the formats, please check out the following links:

• Learn more about the OBJ format
• Learn more about the DGN format

RapidPipeline can import OBJ files, but currently doesn't support exporting to DGN format yet.

If you specifically need DGN export functionality for your workflow, please feel free to get in touch with us - we'd be happy to discuss your requirements and potential timeline for adding this export capability.

If you need, you can import DGN files and convert them to any of these 8 formats: FBX, glTF, OBJ, PLY, STL, USD, USDZ, and VRM.

In the meantime, you can explore other options on the 3D Formats Knowledge Database, which might serve as suitable alternatives for your workflow depending on your target applications and use cases.

The OBJ file is a format mostly used for 3D modeling and generalized 3D applications.
The DGN file is a format mostly used for CAD and infrastructure design data.

The following limitations should be taken into account when converting OBJ files to DGN format:

OBJ Feature (not supported by DGN)

Limitation Details

Texture Compression

Texture Compression Support: OBJ: Partial support | DGN: No support OBJ Notes: OBJ's MTL format references textures as external files, and the original spec defers supported image formats to the host application. In practice, compressed formats like JPEG are widely used in modern tools. No GPU-level texture compression (e.g. BCn/DXT) is supported. Impact: Texture compression refers to a process of compressing 2D texture images for memory-efficient rendering (and sometimes for efficient transmission). The decompression of compressed texture data is therefore performed on-the-fly during rendering, so that it never has to be stored in unpacked form, but can be kept as-is in GPU memory. Formats supporting texture compression methods, such as the ones offered by glTF through KTX2 containers, therefore allow 3D models to use a smaller memory footprint on the client device during rendering. This can speed up rendering time, and also make it possible to store and use larger amounts of texture data than it would otherwise be possible.

Doing 3D conversion right, especially at scale, can be tricky, as 3D data is in general a rather complex (yet very powerful!) medium. This also applies to OBJ and DGN files - the conversion guide above provides a rough first idea about that. Once you know what you would like to do, tools like RapidPipeline can help you perform the necessary steps, and to even automate the process for thousands or even millions of files.

Especially when introducing pipelines and workflows at scale in an enterprise context, it is usually good to rely on dedicated tools and expertise, making sure you do not introduce any steps into your 3D workflow that are detrimental to the final output's quality, or that take your team too much time (and money).

If you're interested to hire dedicated expertise from the best in the field to help your company reach your goals fast and reliably, please do not hestitate to contact DGG. Being the creators of RapidPipeline, and ambassadors for open 3D standards for more than a decade, we have been building some of the world's most advanced 3D pipelines, having processed many millions of 3D assets.

Therefore, our expertise will help you to reach your goals faster, at scale, and with the least possible friction, since we are focused on maximum interoperability.

To get started with 3D data conversion and optimization today, sign up for a free account!

If you have any questions, feel free to chat with our human team.