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 into your project. The file addons/bake3d/plugin.cfg should sit under the project root. Enable Bake3D in Project → Project Settings → Plugins, open a 3D scene, and select the Bake3D bottom panel.

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.

Choose image URL to start from one publicly accessible HTTPS image, or text to describe the subject. Generate the mesh and rig, then use Check job until the job succeeds. You can also enter an existing Bake3D project ID.

Describe a motion, enter an existing animation ID, or use a preset ID such as adaptive-walk. Choose an action that fits the actual structure. The walking preset requires a standing rig with at least two valid, separate leg chains; it cannot make wheels walk or repair a missing limb. Leave both animation fields empty to use the included initial animation. Enable Rest pose only to import an unanimated copy. The free included-animation action can create or recover the introduction for an existing rig.

Select Import into open scene. Each import saves a portable GLB and a compressed native .scn file in res://Bake3D, then adds a new scene instance. Undo removes that instance while keeping the files available. Play / pause imported motion previews the first animation. To use the asset in your game, connect its AnimationPlayer to your own controller.

Generation costs 35 credits for mesh and rig; described motion costs 5. Job checks, preset listing and exports are free. After a timeout, check the job or project before submitting another paid request.

Import an animated GLB manually

Export your rig from Bake3D and copy the GLB into the Godot project. Wait for import to finish, then drag the imported scene into a 3D scene. Expand it to inspect the skeleton, mesh and AnimationPlayer.

Select the source GLB in FileSystem and set Animation → FPS to match the Bake3D export: 24, 30 or 60. Godot’s scene importer documentation recommends matching the source sampling rate.

For a faithful motion comparison, open Advanced Import Settings, select the AnimationPlayer node, and disable Optimizer → Enabled, then reimport. The optimizer removes animation keys. That can be useful for smaller assets, but it can also change a carefully planted foot. Once the imported motion passes your checks, you can tune optimization and compare again.

The Bake3D add-on imports through Godot’s GLTFDocument and saves a native scene without that additional key reduction. If you later import its companion GLB manually, apply the same FPS and optimizer checks.

Check playback and root movement

Select the AnimationPlayer, choose the imported clip, and scrub a full cycle. Watch every appendage and confirm the texture is present. Compare the first and last poses of a loop. For a walking clip, inspect the stance phase in slow motion.

Use in-place motion when your game controller moves the character. Enable root travel when you want movement baked into the asset. Applying both controller movement and baked root movement can move the character twice. A creature with many legs can use its imported skeleton directly; it does not need a humanoid bone map.

Imported clips do not automatically become a gameplay state machine. Set up your AnimationPlayer or AnimationTree and trigger the appropriate clip for idle, movement and other actions. Rigged vehicles and props need actions around their actual pivots.

What we verified

In Godot 4.7.2, we tested four procedural walkers with 5, 6, 8 and 24 legs, including unequal limbs, extra leg segments and low-mounted joints. With matching FPS and optimization disabled, sampled foot positions differed from the browser animation by less than 0.000001 scene units. The add-on’s saved native scenes passed the same comparison after reopening.

We also used the add-on’s MCP client against production to discover presets, export an existing rig, download it without sending account credentials to the file request, and import and play the resulting 28-bone textured model. That check used an isolated account session. Paid generation from Godot and visual inspection of the panel were not part of this validation.

These tests establish the tested import and playback behavior. They do not establish that every generated mesh has correct anatomy or deformation. Use the rig quality checklist and MCP reference as you build your workflow.