# How to open a Collada .dae file online

Source: https://0xr.space/m/how/open-a-collada-dae-file-online  
Published 2026-10-10, updated 2026-10-20, by ZeroXR, the maker of Model Explorer (https://0xr.space/).

Open 0xr.space, press Open and choose the .dae with its texture images, or a ZIP of both. The file is read in the browser: its meshes, the node transforms that place each part, its unit and its up axis, so a Z-up model in centimetres stands upright at its real size. It works on a computer, an Android phone and the Meta Quest browser or app, and View in your space places it in the room.

Only the geometry and a plain look come through. Each material gives its diffuse colour or diffuse texture, in PNG, JPEG or WebP; specular, bump and the rest of the effect are not read. Skinning and animation are not played: a rigged model shows its geometry as it lies in the file. Triangle strips, fans and lines are skipped, and polygons with holes are drawn filled.

## Steps

1. Export the .dae from SketchUp, Blender, 3ds Max or another tool, and keep its textures beside it.
2. Open 0xr.space and press Open. Choose the .dae and its images together, or a ZIP.
3. If a texture is missing, the app names it; add it, or open the model without it.
4. Inspect it, cut through it with the section plane, or press View in your space.

## Questions

### Does it play Collada animation?

No. Animation and skinning are not read. For animation, export a GLB, which plays here.

### Will my Z-up model lie on its back?

No. The file's up_axis and unit are applied. If the exporter wrote the wrong unit, scale the model by hand.

### Why does it look flatter than in my 3D tool?

Only the diffuse colour or texture is read. Shininess, specular and bump maps are not, so surfaces look matte.

### Is my file uploaded?

No. It is read on the device, and nothing is sent to a server unless you create a share link yourself.

## Related guides

- [How to open a .zae file](https://0xr.space/m/how/open-zae-collada-zip)
- [How to open a 3MF file online](https://0xr.space/m/how/open-a-3mf-file-online)
- [How to open a PLY mesh or point cloud](https://0xr.space/m/how/open-a-ply-mesh-or-point-cloud)
- [How to view a MagicaVoxel .vox model in VR](https://0xr.space/m/how/view-a-magicavoxel-vox-model-in-vr)
- [How to open a 3DS file online](https://0xr.space/m/how/open-a-3ds-file-online)
- [How to open a Draco or meshopt compressed GLB](https://0xr.space/m/how/open-a-draco-or-meshopt-compressed-glb)