> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.intangible.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.intangible.ai/build/import-your-own-models.md). # Import your own models Smart Import handles the common 3D exchange formats and lands the imported asset in an editing environment that lets you fix scale, orientation, and category before it joins the scene. Use it for client CAD, custom hero assets, anything the asset library doesn't cover. ## Watch {% embed url="" %} ![Import Assets dialog with the drop zone, a 'Check to review and edit' toggle, and Cancel / Browse actions](/files/E6YaulIzNa8esV7dSINH) ## What it does The asset library covers most blocking. The hero – the actual product the agency is pitching – almost never lives there. Smart Import is how you bring the brief's specific car, the client's spaceship, the architect's building, the product designer's cup. Once imported, the asset behaves like any other library asset: drag, swap, lock, attach an [image reference](/overview/concepts/image-reference.md). {% hint style="warning" %} **Animations don't import.** If your FBX, DAE, or USD file has rigged animation, the geometry comes in but the animation does not. Plan to author motion in Compose mode. {% endhint %} ## Supported formats `.glb`, `.gltf`, `.dae`, `.fbx`, `.ply`, `.obj`, `.stl`, `.usd` * **GLB / GLTF** – web-optimized formats with embedded or referenced textures. Smallest file size for the most complete asset. * **FBX** – the most common interchange format from Maya, 3ds Max, Blender. Carries geometry plus materials. * **OBJ** – geometry only, no materials. Good for clean meshes from CAD. * **DAE (Collada)** – common interchange format that carries geometry, materials, and skeletal data. * **USD** – Pixar's universal scene description, used widely in modern film pipelines. * **PLY** – polygon/point data, often used for scans. * **STL** – mesh geometry for 3D printing and engineering pipelines. {% hint style="info" %} **When in doubt, convert to GLB first.** OBJ and FBX can carry hidden nodes and cruft that trip the importer. Opening the file in Blender and re-exporting as GLB is the most reliable path and almost never fails on import. {% endhint %} ## How to import {% stepper %} {% step %} ### Click Import in the asset library The library has an **Import** button next to **Generate 3D**. Click it. A file picker opens. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Pick the file Use **Browse** to open a file picker, or drag and drop a file from your desktop into the import area. Smart Import reads the file, generates a preview, and drops you into the editing environment. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Review and edit The editing environment shows the imported model alongside a reference character and a banana for scale. Different applications use different default unit systems – Maya exports in centimeters, Blender in meters – so a model that was 1.8 m tall in Blender can arrive 100× too large or too small. Adjust scale here before committing. Also confirm orientation and set a descriptive name so [AI Composer](/build/ai-composer.md) can find the asset by natural language later. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Confirm or cancel When the asset looks right, click the **check** action to commit it to the scene. Click **Cancel** to discard the import without saving. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Save to My Assets or Team Assets Saves the imported asset to your library so you can reuse it across projects. **My Assets** is private to your account; **Team Assets** is visible to everyone on the team. The Generate-3D-Asset preview tutorial walks the team-asset flow if you're sharing imports. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ## Limits and known issues {% hint style="warning" %} **Very high-poly models can fail.** Browser-based import has a ceiling – for example, models above \~280,000 vertices can fail to import. Multi-gigabyte FBX files with millions of triangles will struggle. Run a decimation pass in your modeling tool first if the asset is big; the system optimizes on import, but starting from a sane source helps. {% endhint %} * **Materials never carry over.** All imported models are stripped of their materials on import and arrive as gray meshes. Attach an [image reference](/overview/concepts/image-reference.md) to the object for surface treatment at render time. * **Animations don't import yet.** Smart Import handles geometry. Camera tracks and rigged animations from your DCC don't flow in. * **DXF is wireframe.** Architectural plans come in as line geometry, not solid mass. Useful as guides for building over, less useful as final scene assets. ## Related * [Asset library](/build/asset-library.md) * [Image reference](/overview/concepts/image-reference.md) * [Generate 3D Asset](/build/generate-3d-asset.md) * [Object details](/build/object-details.md) * [Supported file formats](/overview/reference/supported-file-formats.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. 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