An XAF file is mainly used as an XML animation format for tools like 3ds Max or Cal3D, dedicated to motion rather than full character assets, which is why opening it in a text editor displays XML tags full of numeric values for per-bone transforms, timing, and keyframes that don’t animate by themselves, and the file provides animation tracks but does not store geometry, materials, textures, or scene elements, expecting an existing skeleton inside the target application.To "open" an XAF, you normally import it into the appropriate 3D pipeline—like 3ds Max with its rigging tools or any Cal3D-capable setup—and mismatched bone names or proportions often result in broken or offset animation, so checking the header in a text editor for clues such as "Cal3D" or mentions of 3ds Max/Biped/CAT helps you verify which program it belongs to and what skeleton should be used with it.
An XAF file is mostly about animation instructions without any character geometry, using timelines, keyframes, and transform tracks to rotate or adjust bones referenced by names or IDs, sometimes with interpolation data for smooth blends, and whether it stores one clip or several, the purpose stays the same: defining how a skeleton moves over time.
An XAF file typically lacks everything required to display a finished animation, offering no geometry, materials, textures, lights, or cameras and often not providing a full rig definition, instead assuming you already have the proper skeleton loaded, so by itself it’s just choreography without a performer, and importing it onto mismatched rigs—those with different bone names, structures, orientations, or proportions—can break the animation or distort it with twists and offsets.
To determine which type of XAF you’re dealing with, the fastest method is to inspect it as a self-describing text file, using Notepad or ideally Notepad++ to see if it’s readable XML—structured tags mean XML, while scrambled symbols could imply a binary or misleading extension—and if it is readable, use Ctrl+F or skim the first 20–50 lines for terms like Max, Biped, CAT, or Autodesk plus recognizable bone names that signal a 3ds Max animation workflow.
If you're ready to learn more information regarding XAF file program review our page. If "Cal3D" appears explicitly or the XML structure matches Cal3D clip/track formatting, it’s most likely a Cal3D animation file requiring its companion skeleton and mesh, whereas extensive bone-transform lists and rig-specific identifiers fit more with 3ds Max workflows, and runtime-style compact tracks suggest Cal3D, so examining bundled assets and especially the top of the file remains the best way to confirm the intended pipeline.