CIF Converter
Convert a CIF (Caltech Intermediate Form) layout to GDSII, OASIS, DXF or SVG — free, online, entirely inside your browser, including CleWin's own CIF dialect (structure-library parameter declarations, source scripts, and layer colours). Nothing is uploaded: the same CIF reader that backs Glyph's own File → Open runs locally, in this tab.
Where a CIF file can go
| Target | What you get |
|---|---|
| GDSII | Near-exact — a widened CIF wire is stroked to its outline (the shape is correct; "this was a path" isn't preserved as structure), and zero-width wires stay centrelines. |
| OASIS | Same geometry mapping as GDSII, in OASIS's more compact record set. |
| DXF | The same L{layer}D{datatype} layer-naming convention CIF itself uses, so layer and datatype stay distinct. |
| SVG | A flattened vector image — hierarchy is expanded, colour is kept. |
How to convert a CIF file
- Drop your
.ciffile onto the converter above — including a CleWin structure library. - Pick the target format — GDSII, OASIS, DXF, SVG, EPS or PNG.
- Download the result. Nothing is uploaded to a server first.
CleWin CIF files specifically
A CleWin structure library is a CIF file whose symbols carry parameter declarations and generating script text inside CIF comments. This converter's reader decodes them the same way the full Glyph editor's Properties panel does (read-only — Glyph never executes the script), and picks up CleWin's stored layer colours too, so an imported stack isn't uniformly grey. See CleWin alternative for the full picture of what that support does and doesn't cover.
Honest limits
- A magnified (≠1×) CIF reference is flattened into its parent in every target, because a CIF call carries mirror, rotation and position but no scale.
- Text becomes a plain label — CIF has no font, size or alignment concept to preserve.
- CleWin's parameter declarations pass through as data, never as editable, regenerable parameters — the geometry in the file is already generated, and neither this converter nor the full editor re-runs the script that made it.
- There's a file-size ceiling (~50 MB warn, ~200 MB refuse). Open large libraries in the full Glyph editor instead.
For the full pairwise matrix across every format Glyph handles, see the Glyph File Converter hub.
Frequently asked questions
Does this CIF converter understand CleWin's CIF dialect?
Yes. A CleWin structure library carries each symbol's declared parameters and its source script inside CIF comments, plus layer colours. Glyph's reader picks all of that up — the converter shows the geometry, and opening the same file in the full Glyph editor also shows the read-only parameter record.
What can I convert a CIF file to?
GDSII, OASIS, DXF or SVG. Widened paths (CIF wires) become stroked polygons in every target, and a magnified reference is flattened, since a CIF call carries no scale.
Is my CIF file uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using the same reader as the Glyph editor. There is no server to upload to, and your design data never leaves your machine.
Is there a modern, free CIF converter anywhere else online?
Not that we've found — CIF conversion tools today are mostly decades-old desktop reference utilities or academic tooling. This converter is a modern, browser-based alternative built on the same parser as the Glyph editor.
Need to inspect it first?
Open the file in the free Glyph editor instead of just converting it — same CIF reader (including the CleWin dialect), plus the canvas, layers, and design-rule check.
Glyph is made by NANYTE. For where a finished layout goes next, read NANYTE's maskless lithography overview.