Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) imports GLB files with its standard import tools. Drag a GLB into the Content Browser, or use "+Add" > "Import to", and the "Interchange Pipeline Configuration (Import Content)" dialog opens; check the settings, click "Import", and the model is in (source: Epic Games documentation, "Importing glTF Files", UE 5.8, checked November 7, 2026). A GLB without bones comes in as a Static Mesh, so you can place it and show it right away, but you cannot make it walk or change its pose as it is.
This guide walks through the import steps, the dialog settings worth checking, the difference between Static Mesh and Skeletal Mesh, what to do when materials come out pure white or far too shiny, fixing scale and orientation, and how Unreal Engine compares with Unity and Godot. As the example GLB, we use a 3D model made with Figmee from a drawing.
Note: Figmee currently offers figurine-style images made from your drawings, 3D model data (GLB / 3MF), and turntable videos of the 3D model. Ordering physical 3D prints is in preparation (Coming Soon). Figmee cannot turn photos or photo-like images into 3D; it works from drawings.
Can Unreal Engine import GLB files out of the box?
Yes. Epic's documentation says glTF files are imported the same way as other types of content, and it lists no plugin to install first. You can import a whole scene or individual assets.
The same page describes two forms of glTF. A .gltf stores the scene description, textures and binary data as separate files in a folder you choose; a .glb combines all of them into a single self-contained file. With a GLB there are no companion files to carry along, so references do not break even when the data comes from another tool. For more on the format itself, see What Is a GLB File?.
Older tutorials online sometimes describe other import routes that depended on the engine version. This guide follows the UE 5.8 documentation as checked on November 7, 2026.
How do you import a GLB?
Open the destination folder in the Content Browser, drag the GLB in, check the settings in the dialog that opens, then click "Import". Placing it in a level and checking it takes about five minutes.
- Get the GLB ready (about 1 minute): For a model made with Figmee, open "Works" from "Gallery" in the menu at the top of the screen, select the piece, and choose "Save" > "3D model (GLB)". Saving costs no extra tokens.
- Open the destination folder in the Content Browser (about 30 seconds): A separate folder per character or prop makes the materials and textures easier to find later.
- Drag the GLB into the Content Browser (about 10 seconds): Choosing the file through "+Add" > "Import to" works too.
- Check the settings in the dialog (about 2–3 minutes): The "Interchange Pipeline Configuration (Import Content)" dialog opens. The table below lists the settings worth checking.
- Click "Import" (tens of seconds to a few minutes): When it finishes, Static Mesh, material and texture assets appear in the Content Browser.
- Drag it into the level and check how it looks (about 1 minute): Look at color, size and orientation. If it is pure white, too shiny or the wrong size, the sections below cover the fixes.
To bring the scene straight into a level, choose "File" > "Import Into Level", open the GLB, pick a destination folder in the "Choose location for importing scene content" dialog, and then click "Import" in the "Interchange Pipeline Configuration (Import Content)" dialog that follows.
Settings worth checking in the import dialog
The options in the dialog depend on the file format and the Interchange Pipeline Stack you have selected (source: Epic Games documentation, "Interchange Import Reference", UE 5.8, checked November 7, 2026). For a GLB without bones, these are the ones to look at.
| Section | Option | What it does | For a GLB without bones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Offset Translation, Offset Rotation, Offset Uniform Scale | Adds position, rotation and scale offsets on import | Use them when orientation or size is off |
| Common Meshes | Force All Mesh as Type | Forces every mesh to Static Mesh or Skeletal Mesh; None (default) leaves them as they are | Leave it at None; with no bones it comes in as a Static Mesh |
| Static Meshes | Import Static Meshes | Imports Static Mesh assets | Keep it on |
| Static Meshes (Collision) | Import Collision | Imports collision, or creates it if there is none | Turn it on if the model should block things in your game |
| Materials | Import Materials, Material Import | Whether to import materials, and whether to create them as materials or material instances | Keep it on (if off, the file's materials are not imported) |
| Textures | Import Textures, Detect Normal Map Texture | Whether to import textures, and whether to detect normal maps and adjust their settings | Keep both on |
If you leave "Parent Material" under Materials empty, a parent is picked automatically to match the shading model (Lambert/Phong, Unlit, Metallic/Roughness PBR or Specular/Glossiness PBR). glTF materials are metallic/roughness PBR materials.
Does it come in as a Static Mesh or a Skeletal Mesh?
A GLB without bones comes in as a Static Mesh. A Static Mesh is an asset for things whose shape does not change: you can place it, rotate it, light it and give it collision, but you cannot bend its joints.
Figmee GLBs contain no bones and are not rigged. They are static shape and color data, so importing with "Force All Mesh as Type" left at None gives you a Static Mesh. You can pick Skeletal Mesh in that option, but the official Python API reference says the conversion to a skeletal mesh only happens when there are no skinned meshes (source: Unreal Python API, "InterchangeGenericCommonMeshesProperties", UE 5.8, checked November 7, 2026). A model without bones and skin weights does not become a body that bends at the joints just because it is a skeletal mesh.
| Use | Possible with a GLB without bones (Static Mesh)? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Placing it in a level, displaying it | Yes | Put it on a turntable, light it, and so on |
| Background pieces, props, decoration | Yes | Add collision and it can block things too |
| Walking or running | Not as it is | Needs rigging: adding bones and skin weights |
| Changing facial expressions | Not as it is | Needs a separate shape-changing setup (morph targets) |
If you want the character to move, you need an extra step: add bones and skin weights in a tool such as Blender, then export again. What that involves is explained in What Is Rigging?. Using the model first as a display piece, background or prop and deciding later whether to animate it saves rework.
What if the materials are pure white or too shiny?
If it is too shiny or looks dark, suspect the metallic value; if it stays pure white or gray, check whether the materials and textures were imported. Figmee GLBs come with a fairly high metallic value as generated, so depending on the lighting and reflections in your scene, the edges may gleam like metal or the whole model may look dark. (Figmee's own browser viewer resets the metallic value to 0 when it displays the model.)
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Edges gleam like metal, reflect the surroundings, or the model looks dark | High metallic value | Set metallic to 0 in Blender and export again, or switch to your own material in Unreal Engine |
| Pure white or gray with no color | Materials or textures were not imported | Check that Import Materials and Import Textures are on and import again; also look for the texture assets in the Content Browser |
| Colors show but the bumps look inverted | The green channel of the normal map points the other way | Try Flip Normal Map Green Channel under Textures in the dialog |
| Only GLBs of older works lose their color | The format of the color image | See "Color in older GLBs" below |
Switching to your own material in Unreal Engine
Instead of editing the imported material, this creates a new material that uses only the color texture and swaps it into the mesh's material slot. It takes about ten minutes.
- Create a new material (about 1 minute): In the Content Browser, create a "Material" from "+Add" and give it a clear name.
- Connect the color texture (about 3 minutes): Open the material, drag the imported color texture into the graph, and connect its output to Base Color.
- Set metallic to 0 (about 1 minute): Connect a Constant of 0 to Metallic.
- Connect the normal map if you want the surface detail (about 2 minutes): Connect the imported normal map texture to Normal.
- Save and swap it in (about 2 minutes): Save the material, open the Static Mesh, and replace the material in its material slot with the new one.
To fix it in Blender instead, disconnect whatever is plugged into the Metallic input of the imported material (Principled BSDF), set the value to 0, and export the GLB again. How to bring a GLB into Blender is covered in the Figmee-to-Blender GLB import guide.
Color in older GLBs
GLBs of 3D models made with Figmee before October 25, 2026 store their color image as WebP. GLBs made on or after that date use JPEG for the color image and PNG for the bump (normal) image. If an older GLB comes in without color, open it in Blender, export it again with PNG or JPEG selected under "Images", and import that version; this tells you whether the image format is the cause. The Blender manual explains that the "Images" option of the glTF exporter offers PNG, JPEG, WebP and None as image formats (source: Blender 5.2 LTS Manual, "glTF 2.0", checked November 7, 2026).
How do you fix scale and orientation?
Before import, use "Offset Uniform Scale" and "Offset Rotation" under Common in the dialog; after import, use the Transform (Location, Rotation, Scale) of the actor you placed in the level. Neither is an error; both come from the size and orientation of the original data.
- Scale: Place it next to an existing character or the floor and match it by eye. If you import the same GLB repeatedly, setting Offset Uniform Scale at import saves fixing it every time you place it.
- Orientation: If the front faces the wrong way, rotate it with Offset Rotation (Roll, Pitch, Yaw) or with Rotation after placing it.
- Collision: If the model should block things in your game, turn on "Import Collision" under the Collision options of Static Meshes when importing. The reference page says it creates collision when there is none.
- Face count: AI-generated 3D models can have a lot of faces by real-time standards. If you plan to place many copies, one option is to open the Static Mesh and turn on "Enable Nanite Support" under "Nanite Settings". Nanite is Unreal Engine's system for rendering fine geometric detail and large numbers of objects (source: Epic Games documentation, "Nanite Virtualized Geometry", UE 5.8, checked November 7, 2026). For how to think about face counts, see What Is Polygon Count?.
How does it compare with Unity and Godot?
Of the three engines, Unreal Engine and Godot import GLB without any additions, while Unity needs the official glTFast package. In all three, a GLB without bones comes in as a static shape.
| Point of comparison | Unreal Engine | Unity | Godot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads GLB natively | Yes (same procedure as other content) | Native formats are FBX, DAE, DXF and OBJ; GLB is not among them | Yes (glTF 2.0 is the recommended format) |
| What you add | Nothing | The official glTFast package | Nothing |
| How you import | Drag into the Content Browser and set options in the dialog | Copy into the Assets folder | Copy into the project folder |
| What you get | Static Mesh, material and texture assets | A prefab (Scenes, Meshes, Materials, Textures) | A Godot scene |
| Detailed steps | This guide | How to import GLB into Unity | How to import GLB into Godot |
Sources: Unity Manual, "Model file formats" (Unity 6.6), Unity glTFast, "Installation" (6.20.0), Godot Docs, "Available 3D formats" (Godot 4.7), all checked November 7, 2026.
This is not about which one is better. The least-effort choice is to stick with the engine you already use. If you have not decided yet, import one model into each and judge the look and the performance for yourself before choosing.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a plugin to import GLB files into Unreal Engine?
The official documentation (UE 5.8) says glTF is imported the same way as other kinds of content, and it lists no plugin to install. Dragging a GLB into the Content Browser opens the "Interchange Pipeline Configuration (Import Content)" dialog.
Can I make a character GLB made with Figmee walk in my game?
Not as it is. Figmee GLBs contain no bones and are not rigged, so they come into Unreal Engine as Static Meshes. You can place, rotate, light and add collision right away, but walking needs rigging: adding bones and skin weights.
Can I use Figmee's 3MF file in Unreal Engine?
Figmee's 3MF is 3D printing data, sized so that its longest side is 80 mm. The formats the official reference lists for importing into a level are FBX, glTF, GLB and MaterialX, so use the GLB for Unreal Engine. You can save it from "Save" on the work page at no extra token cost.
Summary
In Unreal Engine, drag the GLB into the Content Browser, check the settings in the Interchange dialog and click "Import". A GLB without bones comes in as a Static Mesh, ready to use as a display piece, background or prop, but moving it requires rigging. Figmee GLBs have a fairly high metallic value, so if they look too shiny, switch to your own material or fix it in Blender; if color is missing, check the texture import settings and the image format. Match the size and orientation with the Offset options on import or the Transform after placing it.
