Opening GDS Files

The GDS file type is primarily associated with MEMS Design.

GDS	File extension: GDS
	File type:	integrated circuit layout

What is a GDS file

GDS files mostly belong to MEMS Design by Siemens. A GDS file is an integrated circuit design saved in GDSII Stream format. A GDS file is similar to a Gerber file; it comprises solder masks, geometry, layers, component labels, and the general layout of a circuit saved as a binary database. GDSII format is based on the Graphic Data System (GDS) developed by Calma. Such files can be created with a computer-aided design or electronic design automation program such as LayoutEditor and MEMS Design. Another type of GDS file is a scientific graph created with SmartWare programming and word processing platform.

How to open a GDS file

You need a suitable software like MEMS Design to open a GDS file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your GDS file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a GDS file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online GDS Text Viewer

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Programs that open and convert GDS files:

MEMS Design by Siemens
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. GDS files are often referred to as MEMS Design cads because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
LayoutEditor (integrated circuit layout) by juspertor
LayoutEditor is a scriptable electronic schematic design application. It can open, edit, and save a GDS file containing an integrated circuit design. This file format is classified as CAD. Related links: GDSII, GDSII
SmartWare (scientific graph) by SmartWare
SmartWare is a productivity and programming software suite based on Faircom database engine. It saves a scientific graph saved in a GDS file. This file format is classified as Vector Image.
Things by McDonnell Douglas

GDS file format:

A file format defines how the data in the file is structured. The initial characters of a file are called signature, sometimes also referred to as "magic bytes". The signature can be used to infer the file format. If the file extension or signature does not match the file format, errors will occur when opening or editing the file. Exact knowledge of the format is therefore important in order to solve problems occurring in files. Our examination of the GDS files comes to the following conclusion:

GDS is a very widely used file extension. The file type predominantly uses a uniform format. However, the following two file formats are common:

80% of all GDS files are associated with GDSII stream format layout. They consist of illegible, cryptic characters. GDS files can be up to 2 GB in size, but are often around 2 KB - 5 MB. It is a modern file type. Such GDS files store data about mask, chip, design, layout, wafer, pads, grating, template, array and ring.
6% of all GDS files start with the magic bytes 00 00 00 30 00 00 00 00 01, which are always the first bytes of this file format. They consist of unreadable binary data. GDS files can be up to 3 MB in size, but are often around 7 KB - 1 MB. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as tYNSCFF.

The remaining 14% of all GDS files are different files with different signatures, frequently e.g. Ogg, Initial, COREARRAYx, TAG and GDS. They are often associated with only, resonator, layers, shadow, cell or sram. Just click the "Choose your .gds file to analyze" button on this page to find out what your GDS file is.

Technical Data for GDS File Extension

File classification:

CAD

Related files:

gds2, gds_preview, oas, gsd, gds5, gev, csf, pdf, gdf, dxf, zip, dgs, dwg, evtx, pdx, txt, epw, exe, json, scn

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: gdsFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Rocky Mountain Traders\exPressIT 5\exPressIT 5.exe %1

ProgramID: gdsFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Memorex\CD LabelMaker 5\CD LabelMaker 5.exe %1

ProgramID: gdsFile
EXEFile: %PFROOT%\Bin\perfly.exe

a gds integrated circuit layout is a special file format by Siemens and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with GDS files

Associate the GDS file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open integrated circuit layouts. Because only the current version supports the latest GDS file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Siemens manufacturer website after an available MEMS Design update.
To make sure that your GDS file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .GDS file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.