Import rigged 3D models and animation into Godot

A rigged GLB carries a mesh, skin weights, skeleton, materials and baked animation. Godot can turn that file into a scene with a Skeleton3D and an AnimationPlayer. Check the imported motion before using it in a game, especially when foot contact or mechanical alignment matters.

Use the Bake3D Godot add-on

Download the Godot add-on ZIP and extract it at your project root, so addons/bake3d/plugin.cfg exists. Enable Bake3D in Project → Project Settings → Plugins, open a 3D scene, and select the Bake3D bottom panel. The add-on’s own README.md sits beside plugin.cfg.

Enter a key from Account → API. API access requires Pro or Studio. The add-on keeps the key in memory; it can also read BAKE3D_API_KEY from the environment that starts Godot. Select Credits to load your balance; the generation and motion buttons then show their current costs.

Choose Image file to pick a PNG, JPEG or WebP with the editor’s file dialog, which the add-on uploads to your account. You can also choose Image URL for one public HTTPS image, or Text to describe the subject. Select Generate mesh and rig. The panel checks the job every four seconds on editor timers, so Godot stays responsive. It backs off when rate limited and stops after 20 minutes. Stop waiting leaves the job running on Bake3D; Cancel job stops it and refunds its credits. Skip the included animation generates a rig without the free included motion.

You can also select Find rigged projects and choose an existing character. Refresh motions lists its saved animations and the built-in presets. A preset that cannot play on this rig is marked with the reason, for example when it lacks the leg chains a walk needs. Compose motion describes new motion with a length and loop setting. Included animation creates or recovers the free introduction for an existing rig.

Select Import into open scene. Rest pose only leaves the animation out of this export only. Height scales the export to a real-world height in metres, and 0 keeps the generated size. Each import writes a compressed native scene, res://Bake3D/<Name>_<Motion>.scn, numbered when the name exists. The source GLB goes into res://Bake3D/source, which contains a .gdignore file so the editor never re-imports it. Only the new scene is registered with the FileSystem dock. Undo removes the placed instance while keeping the files. Play / pause imported motion previews the requested clip; pausing returns the skeleton to its rest pose, so a posed rig is never saved into your scene.

Facing and root motion

Exports are grounded (feet at y = 0) and centred on the origin, and they face glTF +Z. Godot keeps that axis. The character faces Vector3.MODEL_FRONT (+Z), while Godot’s scene forward, Vector3.FORWARD, is −Z. Use look_at(target, Vector3.UP, true) to turn the model’s front toward a target.

Every export’s skeleton starts with motion_root, an unweighted bone on the ground at the origin. With Root motion on, that bone carries only planar travel and heading; the hips keep their bob and jump. The add-on then sets the AnimationPlayer’s root_motion_track to it, for example Bake3D/Armature/Skeleton3D:motion_root. The preview stays in place, and your controller applies get_root_motion_position(). With Root motion off, motion_root stays still and the clip animates in place, keeping vertical motion such as a jump and wheel roll.