Meshy exports every model in eight formats: GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, USDZ, 3MF, BLEND, and DXF. Picking the wrong one is the most common reason a model "looks broken" the second you open it somewhere else. Short version: GLB for web and most engines, FBX for game engines with animation and DCC tools, STL or 3MF for printing, USDZ for Apple AR, OBJ only when an old tool demands it, DXF for CAD. This guide walks through the decision, the export steps, and the three import failures people hit most.
GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, USDZ, 3MF, BLEND, and DXF: 8 Types of 3D File Formats Explained
What Is a GLB File?
GLB is the binary version of glTF, an open standard sometimes called "the JPEG of 3D" because it's everywhere. It packs geometry, PBR materials, and textures into one file, and most web viewers, Unity, Godot, and Blender all read it natively without extra setup. Use it whenever you're not sure what else to pick.
What Is an FBX File?
FBX is Autodesk's format and the long-standing standard for rigged, animated characters. It's the safest choice for Unreal Engine, Maya, 3ds Max, and Unity's animation pipeline. Unlike GLB, it's a closed format maintained by Autodesk, so tool support can vary slightly by version.
What Is an OBJ File, and Why Does It Cause Gray Models?
OBJ stores geometry only. Materials live in a companion .mtl file that references separate texture images by relative path. Keep the .obj, .mtl, and texture files together in one folder and it imports fine. Separate them, and you get an untextured gray model with the geometry intact.
STL vs 3MF for 3D Printing
STL is the oldest and most universal 3D printing format. It stores a triangle mesh with no color, no material, and no units, but every slicer reads it. 3MF is the modern alternative: it can carry color, multi-material data, and metadata that STL simply has no room for. Pick STL for a single-color print and 3MF the moment you're printing in more than one color or material. If your model needs prep work before either format prints cleanly, see Meshy's 3D printing repair guide.
What Is a USDZ File?
USDZ is Apple's packaged AR format, built on Pixar's Universal Scene Description. It's what iOS Quick Look and Vision Pro expect for AR previews. If your audience is viewing models on iPhone or in AR, this is the format they need, alongside a GLB for everyone else.
What Is a BLEND File?
BLEND is Blender's native project format. It keeps modifiers, material node setups, and rigging exactly as they were in Blender, which no export format preserves. It's built for staying inside Blender, not for moving between tools.
What Is a DXF File, and When Should You Export to It?
DXF is a CAD interchange format, geometry only, with no textures or materials attached. It's the format AutoCAD, Fusion 360, SolidWorks, and Rhino expect, and it's a common target for laser cutting and CNC workflows. If your next step is a CAD tool rather than a game engine or a slicer, this is the export to reach for. For the wider landscape of CAD and industrial formats beyond what Meshy exports, Meshy's guide to 3D file formats covers those too.
GLB vs FBX vs OBJ: Which Format Should You Use?
If you only remember one rule, make it this: when in doubt, export GLB.
Here's why formats behave so differently. Most of them are containers. GLB, FBX (embedded), USDZ, 3MF, and BLEND all pack geometry, materials, and textures into a single file. Drop it into another program and everything shows up connected.
OBJ is not a container. It's geometry only. Materials live in a separate .mtl file, and that .mtl file points to texture images by relative path. Ship the .obj without its .mtl and textures sitting in the same folder, and whatever opens it shows plain gray geometry. The mesh isn't broken. The material chain just got cut.
Export Formats by Platforms and Use Cases
| Your destination | Export as | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blender | GLB (or BLEND) | Single file, geometry + PBR textures embedded, imports in one drag |
| Unity | GLB or FBX | GLB drag-and-drops with materials attached; FBX for animation-heavy pipelines |
| Unreal Engine | FBX | UE's native import path for meshes, rigs, and animations |
| Maya / 3ds Max | FBX | The standard DCC interchange format |
| Roblox Studio | FBX (rigged characters) / OBJ (static props) | Matches what Roblox's importers expect, per Meshy's Roblox integration guide |
| Godot | GLB | glTF is Godot's preferred import pipeline |
| Web viewer / three.js | GLB | The native format for the web |
| 3D printing, single color | STL | Universal slicer support |
| 3D printing, multi-color or multi-part | 3MF | Carries color and material metadata that STL can't |
| Apple AR / Vision Pro | USDZ | Apple's required AR format |
| CAD software (AutoCAD, Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Rhino) | DXF | Clean geometry with no baked textures, built for CAD and laser-cutting workflows |
| Legacy tools, last resort | OBJ | Universally readable, but check the .mtl warning above first |
Faster option: Meshy has plugins for Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, 3ds Max, Maya, and Godot that bridge a model straight into your scene. No manual export step at all.
Does the format carry rig and animation data?
If your model is a rigged, animated character, this matters more than which software you're targeting.
| Format | Carries rig + animation? |
|---|---|
| FBX | Yes. The industry standard for rigged characters. |
| GLB | Yes. |
| BLEND | Yes, but only inside Blender. |
| USDZ | Yes, in spec. USDZ is built on USD's UsdSkel schema, which supports skeletal animation, keyframed time samples, and blend shapes. Playback varies by platform: Apple's ARKit and Quick Look play it back fully, Android's SceneViewer may drop parts of the rig, and web viewers depend on the specific implementation. For cross-platform animation, GLB is still the safer bet. |
| OBJ | Never. Static geometry only. |
| STL / 3MF | Never. These are print formats with no room for rig data. |
If you rigged and animated a character in Meshy and exported it as OBJ or STL, the animation wasn't lost. The format simply can't hold it. Re-export as FBX or GLB instead.
How to Export a 3D Model in the Right Format? (5 Steps)
Step 1: Open your finished model. Generate or open any model in your Meshy workspace.
Step 2: Open the Download panel. Click the download icon in the toolbar to open Download Settings.
Step 3: Pick your format from the dropdown. Click the Format field and choose from the eight options: FBX, OBJ, GLB, USDZ, STL, BLEND, 3MF, or DXF. Match it to your destination using the decision table above.
Step 4: Adjust size if needed. Toggle Resize on if you need a specific real-world height, and choose Origin (Bottom or Center) to set where the model's pivot point sits.
Step 5: Click Download, then open it in your target software. If something looks wrong on the other end, check the Fix section below before you assume the export failed.
Where do the textures come from? Textures are baked in at generation time, not at export. Meshy's PBR maps are Albedo, Roughness, Metallic, and Normal, with Emission added on Meshy 6 and later models. There's no separate AO map. The Download panel only controls format and size, it doesn't add or change textures. For more on how these maps get generated, see Meshy's PBR texturing guide.
Exporting for Roblox Studio? According to Meshy's Roblox integration documentation, static props export cleanly as OBJ, and rigged characters export as FBX for Roblox's Avatar importer. If you're using Meshy's Roblox Bridge instead of a manual download, it sends models over as GLB automatically, so this format choice doesn't apply.
Why Is My 3D Model's Texture Missing After Export? (And How to Fix It)
OBJ Imports Gray or White: The Missing .mtl File
This is the single most common cause of a gray import. OBJ splits materials into a .mtl file and separate texture images, all connected by relative file paths.
Fix: Keep the .obj, its .mtl file, and every texture image in the same folder, then import that folder as a whole. If you moved only the .obj file, re-download the full export instead of hunting for the missing pieces. Switching to GLB sidesteps this entirely, since GLB embeds everything in one file.
FBX Texture Not Showing in Blender or Unity
Sometimes the images import but don't get wired into the material slots automatically. This shows up as a model that has the right shape but no color or detail.
Fix: Open the material editor in your target software and manually connect each map: Albedo to Base Color, Normal to Normal, Roughness to Roughness. If you're in Blender specifically, also check your viewport shading mode. Textures only render in Material Preview or Rendered mode, not Solid mode. If nothing looks off in the material editor, that toggle is usually the culprit.
My Model Imports at the Wrong Scale
3D formats don't agree on units, and AI-generated models don't carry real-world dimensions unless you set them. A model can land 100 times too large in one engine and microscopic in another, even from the same export.
Fix: Treat scale as a setting for your destination, not a fixed property of the file.
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Unity: check the model's Import Settings, adjust the Scale Factor, and apply. See Meshy's Unity workflow guide for the full pipeline.
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Unreal Engine: set Import Uniform Scale in the FBX import dialog. Unreal works in centimeters by default. Meshy's Unreal Engine plugin skips the manual import step entirely if you'd rather not deal with this dialog at all.
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Slicers: set the physical print size directly in the slicer. That number, not the file's internal units, is what actually prints.
If you know you'll need a specific real-world size going in, set it in Meshy's Resize option before you export. It saves a round trip.
How to Convert Between 3D Formats? (GLB to FBX, OBJ, STL, DXF)
Since Meshy generates all eight formats from a single model, you usually don't need to convert anything after the fact. Just go back and re-download in the format you actually need.
If you're starting from a file that didn't come from Meshy, or you need a quick one-off conversion, Meshy's free 3D File Converter handles common pairs like GLB to FBX, FBX to OBJ, and STL to DXF. Every conversion adds one more chance for materials or rig data to get dropped along the way, so re-exporting from the original source is safer when that's an option.
FAQs
Is GLB or FBX better?
Neither is universally better, they're built for different jobs. GLB is the modern open standard and the safer default for web, Blender, and most engines. FBX is the industry standard specifically for rigged animation pipelines in Unreal, Maya, 3ds Max, and Unity's animation workflow. Pick based on your destination, not personal preference.
Can a GLB file be 3D printed?
Not directly through most slicers, since GLB is built for rendering rather than printing and doesn't carry the print-specific data slicers expect. Export as STL for single-color printing or 3MF if you need color and multi-material support.
Are glTF and GLB the same?
They're the same format in two packagings. glTF is the text-based version with separate linked files for textures. GLB is the binary version with everything packed into one file. For most workflows, GLB is more convenient since there's nothing to lose track of.
Why does my OBJ file have no texture?
Because OBJ stores geometry only. Its materials live in a separate .mtl file that references texture images by relative path, and if those files didn't travel with the .obj, whatever opens it shows untextured gray geometry. Keep all three pieces (.obj, .mtl, textures) in the same folder, or export GLB instead so everything stays in one file.
What file formats does Meshy export?
Eight: GLB, FBX, OBJ, STL, USDZ, 3MF, BLEND, and DXF, all available from a single generation through the Download panel's Format dropdown.
Which formats keep my rigged animation?
FBX, GLB, and BLEND all carry rig and animation data reliably. USDZ supports it in spec but playback depends on the platform you're viewing it on. OBJ, STL, and 3MF never carry animation, they're static-geometry or print formats. For Roblox characters specifically, export as FBX.
