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HOME/USEFUL GUIDES/GUIDE TO 3D FILE FORMATS/X_B FILE FORMAT EXPLAINED

X_B File Format Explained

The X_B format is the binary Parasolid file format associated with the Parasolid geometric modeling kernel. It is widely used in CAD workflows for precise manufacturing and engineering data exchange.

	Icon	Extension	Original Software	Year	Primary Industry	Geometry	UV Maps	Textures	PBR	Animation	Rigging	Open Use
		.X_B	Parasolid Kernel	1988	CAD Engineering	B-Rep	–	–	–	–	–	–
X_B File Format Details What It Stores It stores precise Parasolid model geometry, including boundary representation geometry, surfaces, solids, topology, and related model data. Unlike mesh formats, it preserves CAD geometry rather than polygonal approximations, but generally excludes lighting, animation, visual textures, feature history, and parametric constraints. Primary Use Cases High-fidelity data exchange between CAD platforms like SolidWorks and NX. Storing precise Parasolid model data in a compact binary format. Preparing precise geometric data for CAM and CNC machining. Strengths Binary encoding results in significantly smaller file sizes compared to text-based X_T. Preserves precise CAD geometry for industrial manufacturing workflows. Faster load and save times due to its non-textual structure. Limitations Not human-readable, making manual inspection or debugging difficult. Strictly focused on CAD; lacks support for rigging or polygon-specific features. Common Software Support Supported by Parasolid-based CAD/CAM systems such as Siemens NX, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, and Mastercam. Autodesk Fusion supports Parasolid Binary (X_B) in eligible license workflows, while other CAD tools may support Parasolid import/export depending on version and translator availability.