> 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/overview/faq/troubleshooting-import.md). # Troubleshooting import The Smart Import editing environment exists to catch the most common import problems before they reach your scene. The patterns below cover what surfaces in support. ## Watch {% embed url="" %} ## The model is in the ground **Symptom**: the imported model lands with half of it below the ground plane. **Cause**: the model was authored with its origin offset from where Intangible expects (typically the bottom-center). **Fix**: click **Center** in the Smart Import editing environment. The model lands on the ground plane, origin at the bottom-center. If the model still looks wrong after centering, the origin in the source file is non-standard; re-export from your modeling tool with the origin at the bottom-center. See [Smart Import](/build/import-your-own-models.md). ## The model is the size of a building **Symptom**: a chair imports at 100 meters tall, or a car imports at 0.1 meters. **Cause**: unit mismatch. The source file was authored in centimeters or millimeters; Intangible interprets the values as meters. **Fix**: in the Smart Import editing environment, type the actual size into the size field. Reference the human silhouette and the 1-meter grid lines on the floor; if the model looks roughly the size you'd expect against the human, the scale is right. For specific values: a chair is around 0.9 meters tall, a car is around 1.5 meters tall, a house is around 8 meters tall. Use these as sanity checks. ## The orientation is wrong **Symptom**: the imported model faces the wrong direction. A car's "front" is what Intangible thinks of as the right side. **Cause**: the source file's orientation conventions differ from Intangible's. Maya, Blender, and Unreal each have different "forward" axes. **Fix**: in the Smart Import editing environment, use the front/back/right/left rotation buttons to spin the model into the right orientation. The visualizer reads orientation when generating prompt context, so getting this right matters. ## Materials look wrong or are missing **Symptom**: the model imports but looks default-gray or has lost its textures. **Cause**: all imported models are stripped of their materials on import. This applies regardless of the source format or shader type – standard PBR, V-Ray, Principled, anything. The mesh arrives as a gray asset. **Fix**: use [image reference](/overview/concepts/image-reference.md). Attach a hero photograph of the asset in Object Details; the visualizer uses that image to constrain surface treatment at render time. This is the canonical approach for brand-accurate hero assets and is how the agency examples in the webinar handle imported CAD. ## The import fails or hangs **Symptom**: the file uploads, but the editing environment never opens, or it opens then crashes. **Causes** (in rough order of likelihood): 1. **The file is too dense.** Multi-gig FBX with millions of triangles overwhelms the browser-based system. There's a ceiling on vertex count too – for example, models above \~280,000 vertices can fail. Decimate below that before importing. 2. **The format isn't fully standard.** A custom variant of FBX (e.g. Maya FBX with embedded animation) sometimes fails to parse. OBJ and FBX can also carry hidden nodes and cruft that trip the importer. Re-export with vanilla FBX options, or convert to GLB (see below). 3. **The file is corrupted.** Re-export from the source. 4. **The browser has run out of memory.** Close tabs and retry. The most reliable fix for a stubborn OBJ or FBX is to open it in Blender and re-export as GLB. GLB is the cleanest interchange format for Smart Import, and a Blender → GLB pass almost always succeeds where the original file failed. ## DXF imports as wireframe, not solid **Symptom**: a DXF file imports but shows only as line geometry, not as solid mass. **Cause**: DXF is a wireframe / line format by design. Solid mass requires a different interchange. **Fix**: re-export from the CAD tool as FBX, OBJ, or GLB. DXF is useful as an architectural plan reference but not as a final asset. ## Imports don't carry animation **Symptom**: an FBX with an animated camera or rigged character imports as static geometry; the animation is gone. **Cause**: Smart Import handles geometry only. Animations from your DCC don't import. **Fix**: re-author the animation in Compose mode using keyframes. The 3D structure imports correctly; the motion has to be authored on the Intangible side. ## My Assets vs Team Assets **Symptom**: an imported asset shows up under My Assets when you wanted Team Assets, or vice-versa. **Cause**: the import lands in whichever workspace is active at import time. **Fix**: switch to the right workspace (top-left dropdown) before clicking Import. There's no cross-workspace asset move; if you imported into the wrong one, re-import in the right one. See [Workspaces](/teams-and-billing/workspaces.md). ## Related * [Smart Import](/build/import-your-own-models.md) * [Image reference](/overview/concepts/image-reference.md) * [Supported file formats](/overview/reference/supported-file-formats.md) * [System requirements](/overview/reference/system-requirements.md) * [Workspaces](/teams-and-billing/workspaces.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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