An XAF file primarily stores XML-formatted animation data in workflows such as 3ds Max or Cal3D, holding timing information, keyframes, and bone transforms instead of complete models, so viewing it in Notepad only exposes structured XML and numbers that describe motion mathematically, with the file carrying animation tracks but leaving out meshes, textures, lights, cameras, and other scene data while assuming the presence of a compatible rig.

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 mainly contains 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 generally doesn’t provide 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 identify what XAF you’re dealing with, the quickest trick is to rely on a self-describing text check by opening it in a simple editor and seeing if the content is readable XML—tags and meaningful words indicate XML, while messy characters suggest binary or a misleading extension—and if it is XML, skimming the first lines or searching for terms like Max, Biped, CAT, or Character Studio plus recognizable rig naming can help verify a 3ds Max workflow.

If you liked this report and you would like to obtain additional data pertaining to XAF file compatibility kindly take a look at the web-site. If the file contains “Cal3D” markers or XML attributes that define Cal3D animation tracks, it’s probably a Cal3D-format XML expecting the correct skeleton/mesh pair, while detailed per-bone transform data and rig-style identifiers tend to suggest 3ds Max workflows, and a compact game-oriented clip layout usually means Cal3D, with surrounding files offering hints and the header lines giving the clearest indication of the exporter.