lay 

LAY File Extension

Have a problem opening a .LAY file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what LAY files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .LAY file type?

The filename extension .lay most commonly occurs in relation to the Kyodai Mahjongg Layout (.lay) file type associated with the Kyodai Mahjongg solitaire game developed by Cyna Games and distributed as shareware. In Kyodai Mahjongg, a layout (.lay) file is a text document, in which a matrix of ones and zeros is used to encode the placement of the tiles. To use a given layout, its .lay file must be placed in the game's Layouts directory. A layout can be made by any Kyodai Mahjongg player using the software, and a collection of over a hundred Kyodai Mahjongg layouts (.lay) is available for downloading from the Kyodai Mahjongg official website.


Additionally, the .lay extension represents the Sprint-Layout PCB Layout (.lay) file type that belongs to Sprint-Layout, a shareware Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design tool from ABACOM. A .lay file is PCB layout designed and saved in Sprint-Layout. It is an editable binary storage of a PCB's component locations and their interconnections. From within Sprint-Layout, such PCB layouts (.lay) can be exported as industry-standard GERBER, Excellon, or HPGL files for manufacturing. Besides the full version of the software, any Sprint-Layout .lay file can be viewed and printed using ABACOM's free Sprint-Layout Viewer utility.


With reference to the S7-PLCSIM Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) simulation package by Siemens, the .lay extension denotes the S7-PLCSIM Workspace Layout (.lay) file type. S7-PLCSIM allows to save workspace windows arrangements as layouts (.lay) and load them to restore the previously saved workspaces. The .lay files are different from saved PLC simulations (.plc) and can be used in combination.


In Pro/ENGINEER, the predecessor of the Creo CAD family by PTC, the .lay extension is used to denote the Pro/ENGINEER Layout (.lay) file type. Here, a layout (.lay) is a list of reference parameters or conditions that are critical for proper representation of a design project. Also referred to as 'notebooks,' layouts (.lay) are usually created using the Pro/NOTEBOOK tool and referenced by Pro/ENGINEER part or assembly projects.


Rhinoceros (Rhino), an established commercial 3D modeling tool by Robert McNeel & Associates, uses the .lay extension for its layer state files. A layer state (.lay) file is a CSV text document with various parameters associated with a given layer listed as fields. Such layer states are used in Rhino to save and quickly restore layer settings.


Still another role of the .lay extension is connected with the Tecplot Linked Data (.lay) file type that belongs to the Tecplot 360 commercial data visualization software from Tecplot, Inc. Such a linked data (.lay) file is a text document that provides links to external data sources referenced by Tecplot to do the plotting. The LAY files are different from the Packaged Data (.lpk) files in that the latter actually contain the binary data.


Besides, the .lay extension serves to denote DVD data layout files (.lay) created by the Apple DVD Studio Pro software on Apple Mac OS X for any DVD project authored with this tool. Here, a .lay file (e.g., VOB_DATA.lay) is an auxiliary file that describes the actual layout of data to be written onto a DVD medium. Such files perform a service function and are not included in the produced DVD's.



Software to open or convert LAY files

You can open LAY files with the following programs: 

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