diff --git a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
index 782aaaee5..87a4541d2 100644
--- a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
@@ -23,9 +23,15 @@
 
 #include "PreCompiled.h"
 #ifndef _PreComp_
+# include <Inventor/actions/SoToVRML2Action.h>
+# include <Inventor/VRMLnodes/SoVRMLGroup.h>
 # include <Inventor/VRMLnodes/SoVRMLParent.h>
 #endif
 
+#include <Base/FileInfo.h>
+#include <Base/Stream.h>
+#include <zipios++/gzipoutputstream.h>
+
 #include "SoFCDB.h"
 #include "SoFCColorBar.h"
 #include "SoFCColorLegend.h"
@@ -37,6 +43,7 @@
 #include "SoFCUnifiedSelection.h"
 #include "SoFCSelectionAction.h"
 #include "SoFCInteractiveElement.h"
+#include "SoFCUnifiedSelection.h"
 #include "SoFCVectorizeSVGAction.h"
 #include "SoFCVectorizeU3DAction.h"
 #include "SoAxisCrossKit.h"
@@ -200,3 +207,72 @@ const std::string& Gui::SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(SoNode * root)
     free(buffer);
     return cReturnString;
 }
+
+bool Gui::SoFCDB::writeToVRML(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary)
+{
+    SoVRMLAction vrml2;
+    vrml2.apply(node);
+    SoToVRML2Action tovrml2;
+    tovrml2.apply(node);
+    SoVRMLGroup* vrmlRoot = tovrml2.getVRML2SceneGraph();
+    vrmlRoot->ref();
+    std::string buffer = SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(vrmlRoot);
+    vrmlRoot->unref(); // release the memory as soon as possible
+
+    Base::FileInfo fi(filename);
+    if (binary) {
+        // We want to write compressed VRML but Coin 2.4.3 doesn't do it even though
+        // SoOutput::getAvailableCompressionMethods() delivers a string list that
+        // contains 'GZIP'. setCompression() was called directly after opening the file,
+        // returned TRUE and no error message appeared but anyway it didn't work.
+        // Strange is that reading GZIPped VRML files works.
+        // So, we do the compression on our own.
+        Base::ofstream str(fi, std::ios::out | std::ios::binary);
+        zipios::GZIPOutputStream gzip(str);
+
+        if (gzip) {
+            gzip << buffer;
+            gzip.close();
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    else {
+        Base::ofstream str(fi, std::ios::out);
+
+        if (str) {
+            str << buffer;
+            str.close();
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool Gui::SoFCDB::writeToFile(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary)
+{
+    bool ret = false;
+    Base::FileInfo fi(filename);
+
+    // Write VRML V2.0
+    if (fi.hasExtension("wrl") || fi.hasExtension("vrml") || fi.hasExtension("wrz")) {
+        // If 'wrz' is set then force compression
+        if (fi.hasExtension("wrz"))
+            binary = true;
+
+        ret = SoFCDB::writeToVRML(node, filename, binary);
+    }
+    else if (fi.hasExtension("iv")) {
+        // Write Inventor in ASCII
+        std::string buffer = SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(node);
+        Base::ofstream str(Base::FileInfo(filename), std::ios::out);
+
+        if (str) {
+            str << buffer;
+            str.close();
+            ret = true;
+        }
+    }
+
+    return ret;
+}
diff --git a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.h b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.h
index cc7b3a6a2..9e9d0a82c 100644
--- a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.h
+++ b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.h
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ public:
     static void finish();
     /// helper to apply a SoWriteAction to a node and write it to a string
     static const std::string& writeNodesToString(SoNode * root);
+    static bool writeToVRML(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary);
+    // Write to VRML or Inventor file
+    static bool writeToFile(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary);
 };
 
 } // namespace Gui
diff --git a/src/Gui/View3DInventorViewer.cpp b/src/Gui/View3DInventorViewer.cpp
index 62db9d913..27f42d622 100644
--- a/src/Gui/View3DInventorViewer.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/View3DInventorViewer.cpp
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@
 #include <Base/FileInfo.h>
 #include <Base/Sequencer.h>
 #include <Base/Tools.h>
-#include <zipios++/gzipoutputstream.h>
 
 #include "View3DInventorViewer.h"
 #include "ViewProviderDocumentObject.h"
@@ -1130,48 +1129,7 @@ bool View3DInventorViewer::dumpToFile(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool b
     bool ret = false;
     Base::FileInfo fi(filename);
 
-    // Write VRML V2.0
-    if (fi.hasExtension("wrl") || fi.hasExtension("vrml") || fi.hasExtension("wrz")) {
-        // If 'wrz' is set then force compression
-        if (fi.hasExtension("wrz"))
-            binary = true;
-
-        SoVRMLAction vrml2;
-        vrml2.apply(node);
-        SoToVRML2Action tovrml2;
-        tovrml2.apply(node);
-        SoVRMLGroup* vrmlRoot = tovrml2.getVRML2SceneGraph();
-        vrmlRoot->ref();
-        std::string buffer = SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(vrmlRoot);
-        vrmlRoot->unref(); // release the memory as soon as possible
-
-        if (binary) {
-            // We want to write compressed VRML but Coin 2.4.3 doesn't do it even though
-            // SoOutput::getAvailableCompressionMethods() delivers a string list that
-            // contains 'GZIP'. setCompression() was called directly after opening the file,
-            // returned TRUE and no error message appeared but anyway it didn't work.
-            // Strange is that reading GZIPped VRML files works.
-            // So, we do the compression on our own.
-            Base::ofstream str(fi, std::ios::out | std::ios::binary);
-            zipios::GZIPOutputStream gzip(str);
-
-            if (gzip) {
-                gzip << buffer;
-                gzip.close();
-                ret = true;
-            }
-        }
-        else {
-            Base::ofstream str(fi, std::ios::out);
-
-            if(str) {
-                str << buffer;
-                str.close();
-                ret = true;
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    else if (fi.hasExtension("idtf") || fi.hasExtension("svg")) {
+    if (fi.hasExtension("idtf") || fi.hasExtension("svg")) {
         int ps=4;
         QColor c = Qt::white;
         std::auto_ptr<SoVectorizeAction> vo;
@@ -1198,15 +1156,8 @@ bool View3DInventorViewer::dumpToFile(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool b
         out->closeFile();
     }
     else {
-        // Write Inventor in ASCII
-        std::string buffer = SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(node);
-        Base::ofstream str(Base::FileInfo(filename), std::ios::out);
-
-        if (str) {
-            str << buffer;
-            str.close();
-            ret = true;
-        }
+        // Try VRML and Inventor format
+        ret = SoFCDB::writeToFile(node, filename, binary);
     }
 
     return ret;