---
name: "coin_compression_overview"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "coin"
version: "1:4.0.10-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/coin_compression_overview"
---

# coin\_compression\_overview(3)

File compression Coin can support reading and writing Inventor and VRML files compressed with either gzip or bzip2 (as of yet - more formats may come in the future). This functionality is of course only enabled when Coin can link with the corresponding compression libraries. Reading of compressed files happens in a transparent manner - there is nothing the developer has to do to support this. Writing of compressed files is controlled through the SoOutput::setCompression method. The list of available compression methods can be fetched with the SoOutput::getAvailableCompressionMethods method. You cannot use file compression together with I/O to memory buffers, except for reading from memory buffers containing gzip-compressed files. For backwards compatibility with Coin 2.0 and Coin 1.0, compressed files must not be used. Compressed files works only from Coin 2.1 and upwards. Since See also

## NAME

coin\_compression\_overview - File compression

Coin can support reading and writing Inventor and VRML files compressed with either gzip or bzip2 (as of yet - more formats may come in the future). This functionality is of course only enabled when Coin can link with the corresponding compression libraries.

Reading of compressed files happens in a transparent manner - there is nothing the developer has to do to support this.

Writing of compressed files is controlled through the **SoOutput::setCompression** method.

The list of available compression methods can be fetched with the **SoOutput::getAvailableCompressionMethods** method.

You cannot use file compression together with I/O to memory buffers, except for reading from memory buffers containing gzip-compressed files.

For backwards compatibility with Coin 2.0 and Coin 1.0, compressed files must not be used. Compressed files works only from Coin 2.1 and upwards.

**Since**

Coin 2.1

**See also**

**SoOutput::setCompression**, **SoOutput::getAvailableCompressionMethods**