A file with the BR5 extension is most likely a Bryce 5 Scene file, a type of file used with the Bryce modeling software, which can be used to create 3D landscapes.
BR5 files usually contain 3D environments filled with things like lighting effects, natural water, etc., but can also include other 3D models and objects like animals and people.
Other BR5 files may be music files that were created when a BMW car backed up a music collection via USB. If they don’t have the BR5 extension, they may be similar, with a .BR3 or .BR4 extension.
How to open a BR5 file
Bryce 5 and newer is the software you need to open BR5 files. The program was initially developed by Metacreations before being acquired by Corel. After Corel released version 5, Bryce was acquired by DAZ Productions. The latest version of Bryce can be purchased directly from DAZ Productions.
Even if you are using a version of Bryce that is newer than version 5, the BR5 file is opened the same way, via the File > Open menu .
The music files in the BMW BR5 are protected by special software in the vehicle, so when the music files are backed up to a USB drive, they are converted to a new format and renamed with the file extension .BR5. These files are intended to be restored to the car’s hard drive, and not to be opened on a computer and played as an MP3 file would be.
In other words, even though BMW provides a way to back up your music collection in case the car’s hard drive is going to be wiped, the only thing you can do with them is load them back onto the hard drive to play them in the car.
How to convert a BR5 file
Bryce’s software might be able to convert a BR5 file. Typically, when a program supports converting files or saving open files to a new format, this option is displayed in the File > Save As menu , or in some sort of Export or Convert menu or button .
You may only be able to save the BR5 file in the format used in the version of Bryce that has the BR5 file open. For example, if you’re using Bryce 7 to open the BR5 file, you may only be able to convert the file to a BR7 file (not BR6, etc.).
As we mentioned earlier, BR5 files used in BMW cars can probably only be reloaded to the car’s hard drive (and possibly only to the same car that was backed up), which means it’s There probably isn’t a solid converter anywhere that can decrypt these files and convert them to another audio format.
However, there is a program called BRx Converter that can work for BR5 audio files, but it is only a demo version. It is not clear where you are limited, but if you find that this BR5 audio file converter works, you might consider purchasing the full program.
If BRx Converter doesn’t work, this post on the Bimmerfest forum might be helpful. Through that link there is a discussion of a different BR5 converter and a download link to a Windows version and a Mac version.
You can usually use a free file converter on the file if it’s a popular format that needs to be saved under a new, similar format (such as when converting MP3 to WAV). However, this is not the case for BR5 files, so the only route to converting one is probably with the Bryce program.
Still can’t open the file?
Some file formats use a file extension that looks like it’s spelled “.BR5” when it really isn’t. The file extensions may even be a letter apart, but that doesn’t mean the files themselves are similar, which also means the files can’t be opened by the same programs.
Although their file extensions are very similar, BR5 files in any of the above formats are not the same as BRL files.
Similarly, ABR, BRSTM, and FBR, while they may look a bit like BR5 files because their extensions are similar, are completely different formats that require different programs to open/use them.