DAE

COLLADA DAE (.dae) is a popular common model format. Because it can support model rigging, it is ideal for sharing rigged character models. Because it uses XML, a model's format can be viewed with any text editor, and the structure can be validated by comparing it with the official COLLADA DAE schema. The two most common versions of the DAE schema are 1.4 and 1.5.

DAE is one of the two preferred model formats on The Models Resource.

Limitations

Because of its XML structure, DAE models tend to have higher file sizes than other formats. Also, while not strictly a limitation of the format itself, some modeling programs use either loose or outdated interpretations of the schema when handling DAE models. This leads to models that seem to work fine for the original exporter but not in other programs.

Common Problems

Wrong Format

As mentioned above, not all programs strictly adhere to the COLLADA DAE schema when creating models. This can lead to models loading with empty or broken materials, misplaced parts, or broken UVs. In the worst cases, the model will simply fail to load at all or crash the program. Users with knowledge of XML can attempt to fix these issues by validating the structure against the schema and correcting the errors it highlights.

Texture Paths

Some modeling software will use absolute file paths when defining the name of the texture. This will cause the textures to fail to load when the model is imported if the user does not have the exact same folder structure as the one defined in the model file. For the textures to be able to load properly, the file path should point to the texture's location relative to the model file.

Because DAE uses XML, it is possible to fix the issue using any text editor, such as Notepad or Notepad++, even if the user is not familiar with XML. Texture definitions are stored under the library_images node, which is usually located at the top of the file. Inside it is a series of image nodes, one for each texture being used, and inside each of those is a init_from node. The user simply has to change any absolute file paths to relative paths.

Before:

<init_from>
    <ref>C:\Users\Owner\Desktop\King Dedede\FitDedede_Hammer.png</ref>
</init_from>

After:

<init_from>
    <ref>FitDedede_Hammer.png</ref>
</init_from>

Note: Not all DAEs will use the exact structure given in this example, but it should still be obvious as to where the path is.