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Import and add 3D models to your composition

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After Effects

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  1. After Effects User Guide
  2. Beta releases
    1. Beta Program Overview
    2. After Effects Beta Home
  3. Getting started
    1. Get started with After Effects
    2. What's new in After Effects 
    3. Release Notes | After Effects
    4. After Effects system requirements
    5. Keyboard shortcuts in After Effects
    6. Supported File formats | After Effects
    7. Hardware recommendations
    8. After Effects for Apple silicon
    9. Planning and setup
  4. Workspaces
    1. General user interface items
    2. Get to know After Effects interface
    3. Workflows
    4. Workspaces, panels, and viewers
  5. Projects and compositions
    1. Projects
    2. Composition basics
    3. Precomposing, nesting, and pre-rendering
    4. View detailed performance information with the Composition Profiler
    5. CINEMA 4D Composition Renderer
  6. Importing footage
    1. Preparing and importing still images
    2. Importing from After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro
    3. Importing and interpreting video and audio
    4. Preparing and importing 3D image files
    5. Importing and interpreting footage items
    6. Working with footage items
    7. Detect edit points using Scene Edit Detection
    8. XMP metadata
  7. Text and Graphics
    1. Text
      1. Formatting characters and the Character panel
      2. Text effects
      3. Creating and editing text layers
      4. Formatting paragraphs and the Paragraph panel
      5. Extruding text and shape layers
      6. Animating text
      7. Examples and resources for text animation
      8. Live Text Templates
    2. Motion Graphics
      1. Work with Motion Graphics templates in After Effects
      2. Use expressions to create drop-down lists in Motion Graphics templates
      3. Work with Essential Properties to create Motion Graphics templates
      4. Replace images and videos in Motion Graphics templates and Essential Properties
      5. Animate faster and easier using the Properties panel
  8. Drawing, Painting, and Paths
    1. Overview of shape layers, paths, and vector graphics
    2. Paint tools: Brush, Clone Stamp, and Eraser
    3. Taper shape strokes
    4. Shape attributes, paint operations, and path operations for shape layers
    5. Use Offset Paths shape effect to alter shapes
    6. Creating shapes
    7. Create masks
    8. Remove objects from your videos with the Content-Aware Fill panel
    9. Roto Brush and Refine Matte
  9. Layers, Markers, and Camera
    1. Selecting and arranging layers
    2. Blending modes and layer styles
    3. 3D layers
    4. Layer properties
    5. Creating layers
    6. Managing layers
    7. Layer markers and composition markers
    8. Cameras, lights, and points of interest
  10. Animation, Keyframes, Motion Tracking, and Keying
    1. Animation
      1. Animation basics
      2. Animating with Puppet tools
      3. Managing and animating shape paths and masks
      4. Animating Sketch and Capture shapes using After Effects
      5. Assorted animation tools
      6. Work with Data-driven animation
    2. Keyframe
      1. Keyframe interpolation
      2. Setting, selecting, and deleting keyframes
      3. Editing, moving, and copying keyframes
    3. Motion tracking
      1. Tracking and stabilizing motion
      2. Face Tracking
      3. Mask Tracking
      4. Mask Reference
      5. Speed
      6. Time-stretching and time-remapping
      7. Timecode and time display units
    4. Keying
      1. Keying
      2. Keying effects
  11. Transparency and Compositing
    1. Compositing and transparency overview and resources
    2. Alpha channels and masks
    3. Track Mattes and Traveling Mattes
  12. Adjusting color
    1. Color basics
    2. Color management
    3. Color Correction effects
    4. OpenColorIO and ACES color management
  13. Effects and Animation Presets
    1. Effects and animation presets overview
    2. Effect list
    3. Effect Manager
    4. Simulation effects
    5. Stylize effects
    6. Audio effects
    7. Distort effects
    8. Perspective effects
    9. Channel effects
    10. Generate effects
    11. Time effects
    12. Transition effects
    13. The Rolling Shutter Repair effect
    14. Blur and Sharpen effects
    15. 3D Channel effects
    16. Utility effects
    17. Matte effects
    18. Noise and Grain effects
    19. Detail-preserving Upscale effect
    20. Obsolete effects
  14. Expressions and Automation
    1. Expressions
      1. Expression basics
      2. Understanding the expression language
      3. Using expression controls
      4. Syntax differences between the JavaScript and Legacy ExtendScript expression engines
      5. Editing expressions
      6. Expression errors
      7. Using the Expressions editor
      8. Use expressions to edit and access text properties
      9. Expression language reference
      10. Expression examples
    2. Automation
      1. Automation
      2. Scripts
  15. Immersive video, VR, and 3D
    1. Construct VR environments in After Effects
    2. Apply immersive video effects
    3. Compositing tools for VR/360 videos
    4. Advanced 3D Renderer
    5. Import and add 3D models to your composition
    6. Import 3D models from Creative Cloud Libraries
    7. Image-Based Lighting
    8. Extract and animate lights and cameras from 3D models
    9. Tracking 3D camera movement
    10. Cast and accept shadows
    11. Embedded 3D model animations
    12. Shadow Catcher
    13. 3D depth data extraction
    14. Modify materials properties of a 3D layer
    15. Work in 3D Design Space
    16. 3D Transform Gizmos
    17. Do more with 3D animation
    18. Preview changes to 3D designs real time with the Mercury 3D engine
    19. Add responsive design to your graphics 
  16. Views and Previews
    1. Previewing
    2. Video preview with Mercury Transmit
    3. Modifying and using views
  17. Rendering and Exporting
    1. Basics of rendering and exporting
    2. H.264 Encoding in After Effects
    3. Export an After Effects project as an Adobe Premiere Pro project
    4. Converting movies
    5. Multi-frame rendering
    6. Automated rendering and network rendering
    7. Rendering and exporting still images and still-image sequences
    8. Using the GoPro CineForm codec in After Effects
  18. Working with other applications
    1. Dynamic Link and After Effects
    2. Working with After Effects and other applications
      1. Export After Effects project as Premiere Pro project
    3. Sync Settings in After Effects
    4. Creative Cloud Libraries in After Effects
    5. Plug-ins
    6. Cinema 4D and Cineware
  19. Collaboration: Frame.io, and Team Projects
    1. Collaboration in Premiere Pro and After Effects
    2. Frame.io
      1. Install and activate Frame.io
      2. Use Frame.io with Premiere Pro and After Effects
      3. Frequently asked questions
    3. Team Projects
      1. Get Started with Team Projects
      2. Create a Team Project
      3. Collaborate with Team Projects
  20. Memory, storage, performance
    1. Memory and storage
    2. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing    
    3. Improve performance
    4. Preferences
    5. GPU and GPU driver requirements for After Effects
  21. Knowledge Base
    1. Known issues
    2. Fixed issues
    3. Frequently asked questions
    4. After Effects and macOS Ventura
    5. How After Effects handles low memory issues while previewing

Learn how to import 3D model files in After Effects and use them in your composition.

With After Effects 23.0 and later versions, you can import your 3D models directly into your project and drop them into your composite alongside other 2D and 3D layers.

Working with 3D models in After Effects

How to import a 3D model, composite all assets, and turn it into a final 3D motion video in After Effects. 

Tip:

You can use Adobe Substance 3D Painter to prepare 3D models before you import them into After Effects.

Import 3D models to a project

  1. Select File > Import > File or use the Import option in the Project panel.

  2. Select GLB, GLTF, or OBJ file formats from the device to import and select Open. 

    A new folder with the model's name is created in the project for the 3D model file. If the 3D model file has dependent files (texture image files and BIN for GLTF), they are also placed inside this folder. 

    Note:

    You can import 3D files without additional dependent files in the Project panel. Learn more about Decluttered 3D model import.

    Tip:

    If you want to manually collect the dependent files, select File > Dependencies > Collect Files.

Supported 3D file formats for import

  • GLTF and GLB:  GLTF (Graphics Language Transmission Format) is a newer, royalty-free specification for the efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes, which is developed and maintained as an open standard by the Khronos Group. GLTF and its binary package format GLB (Graphics Language Transmission Format Binary) have a wider variety of features, including scene cameras and lights, data compression, and model animation.
  • OBJ (Wavefront Object): OBJ is one of the most commonly used 3D model file formats and can be imported into your composition and treated with the same animation workflow as that of GLTF and GLB files.
Note:

GLB is the preferred file format for most uses in After Effects because it's a single-file package that includes all dependent resources and texture data. GLTF relies on additional files, which may require additional file tracking by the project.

Add imported 3D model to a composition

  1. Select File > Import > File, or use the Import option in the Project panel.

  2. Select GLB, GLTF, or OBJ file formats from the device to import.

    Once you import the 3D model into the Project panel and select that model, a thumbnail will appear. 

    In the Project panel, a 3D model called '3d-model-2.obj' is selected and a thumbnail preview of the chosen 3D model is displayed with otehr details.
    A thumbnail preview of the chosen 3D model allows for quick identification before you add it to your timeline.

  3. Add the imported 3D file to your composition by dragging it to the Timeline panel.

  4. Specify the desired settings In the Model Settings dialog. By default, the Preview option is enabled, and in the Composition panel, you get a preview of what the model looks like when the settings are modified.

    Import 3D model files in GLTF, GLB, or OBJ formats and add them to your composition.

    Object Scale

    Change the object's scale.

    Make Comp Size

    Make the imported model fit the composition size.

    Object position while scaling

    Choose to allow changes in the 3D model's position while scaling.

    Model Units

    Change the model units in the object scale. 

    Up Axis

    Change the axis of the 3D model to either Y Axis or Z Axis.

    Flip Z Axis

    Flip the 3D models around their Z axis.

    Extract all materials

    Extract the materials from the imported 3D model. These extracted materials are stored in the Materials folder in the Project panel.

    Tip:

    You can access the Model Settings dialog anytime by selecting the model in the Project, Timeline, or Composition panels and choosing Layer > Model Settings.

    Note:
    • When you set settings for the imported 3D model in the Model Settings dialog, it would be considered as 100 scale in your composition. 
    • When you add a 3D model to your composition, your 3D Renderer will change to the new Advanced 3D, and you can turn on Draft 3D to use the ground plane or extended viewer.

  5. Select OK to complete adding the model to your composition.

Tip:

You can also import GLTF and GLB 3D models from your Creative Cloud Libraries.

Decluttered 3D model import

In the latest build, imported 3D models are placed at the Root level in the Project panel instead of their own folder. Dependent and related files such as .mtl, .mdl, .scene, .bin, and texture folders will no longer be visible in the Project panel. 

Before reference image of how decluttered 3D model import works.
After reference image of how decluttered 3D model import works.

 Decluttered 3D model import ensures all dependent and related files of an imported 3D file are no longer visible in the Project panel. 

Here are a few things to consider:

  • Collect files still adds the model dependencies files in the set of collected files.
  • After Effects will no longer display dependent files in the Project panel when opening an older project.
  • When saving projects with 3D files as older versions, After Effects creates a folder for models to ensure these versions have a designated place for dependent files when the project is opened.

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