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Valid QD3D Metafile Filename Extensions

Q: What are valid filename extensions for QuickDraw 3D metafiles files under Windows?

A: The ONLY Apple sanctioned file extensions for QuickDraw 3D metafiles are ".3dmf" and ".3dm". That is, QD3D Metafiles MUST END with ".3dmf" or ".3dm". (note use of lowercase - case doesn't actually matter on Windows or the Mac OS, but on UNIX it does matter so we recommend lower case there.) This is necessary for Windows as well as many Internet tools where the extension is used to determine what the file type is. Contrary to popular belief, Windows 95 and NT support more than 3 characters for a file extension so ".3dmf" is perfectly acceptable and is the preferred extension. Many Internet tools and file conversion tools truncate file extensions to use 3 characters. Where such constraints exist, ".3dm" is acceptable.

[Jul 11 1997]

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