Models¶

Models are 3D files made in another program, like Blender or Blockbench. TrenchDot reads glTF, OBJ, Blockbench, STL, MD2 and MD3 files.

You find them in the Models tab at the bottom, next to Materials and Prefabs. It lists everything under res://models, plus the nature models in res://trenchdot/nature once you installed them.

The Models tab: search field, folder and source filters, Sort, Slugs, the thumbnail size slider, Fit, the size multiplier, the rescan button and Import…, above a grid of nature model thumbnails

A new project starts without models. Godot > Add Content to Project… adds the nature models, and the demo choice also brings the Poly Haven props in res://models/polyhaven. Or copy your own files into res://models and press the ⟳ button to rescan.

Placing a model¶

A model goes into the map in one of two ways. Pick by whether you want to change its shape in the editor.

Placed as	Stored in the map	Use it for
Editable mesh	A copy of the geometry, which no longer follows the file	Shapes you want to edit with the mesh tools
`prop_model` entity	Only a `res://` path, Godot loads the file	Props you keep as they are. Every copy follows the file when you change it

As an editable mesh¶

(Optionally) Set the size

Fit, in the Models toolbar, is ticked by default. It scales a model whose longest side is under a quarter meter or over 256 meters to 2 meters, so tiny or huge files still come in usable. The × field next to it multiplies the size on top of that. Both apply when you place, so set them before you drag.
Drag it into a view

Drag a thumbnail from the Models tab into any view. It lands on the surface under the pointer.

For a file anywhere on disk, use Import… at the end of the Models toolbar.

As a prop¶

Pick the file

Go to File > Import > Model Prop (.bbmodel, .glb)… and pick the model.
Check the Inspector

It lands at the 3D cursor as a prop_model entity, and its model key holds the res:// path.

A prop has to point at a file Godot can load. Pick one outside the project and the editor offers to copy it into res://models first.

Blockbench models have two more ways in, File > Import > Blockbench Model as Mesh… and Blockbench Model as Brushes…. As brushes, every cube becomes a brush, grouped under the file's name.

Textures of a placed mesh¶

An editable mesh keeps the model's look. Its textures are copied into models/<name> in the project's texture folder, where <name> is the model's path in the Models tab, or its file name for a model from elsewhere. Select the mesh and the Inspector lists the materials it draws with:

The Inspector of a placed mesh: 5966 vertices and the material models/polyhaven/containers/wine_barrel_01/tex0

Where the plain image would not draw like the model, a Godot material goes into the project's material folder as well. That way cut out leaves, pixel art and glowing parts (a glTF model's emission color and emission map included) draw in Godot like they do here. To swap the materials, click one in the Materials tab while the mesh is selected, Edit > Undo brings them back.

Placing never overwrites a file. Place the same model again and it reuses its textures, and keeps a material you tuned in Godot. If another model's textures already sit in that folder, like those of rock.bbmodel next to rock.glb, the new ones go into a numbered folder such as models/rock_2. Undo leaves the files where they are. If the textures cannot be written, say in a read-only project, the mesh comes in untextured and the status bar says why.

Textures count as the same by their pixels, so one that another program only saved again is still reused. Painted over one? Meshes placed before keep your version, and the next placement gets fresh copies in a numbered folder, with a new material. To give later placements your changes, apply your material to them from the Materials tab.

Note

FuncGodot only builds a face's material from the project's default_material when there is no material file of the same name. Faces of a placed model that got a material file draw with that file, so a custom shader set as default_material does not reach them. Edit the file in Godot to change them. A project whose material extension is not tres gets no material files, and its default material applies.

More on a thumbnail¶

Right click a thumbnail to place it at the cursor, copy its path or find the file on disk. Open pack page shows up when its pack has a url.

Pack credits¶

Free model packs usually ask for credit. Put a pack.json in a model's folder, or any folder above it (the nearest one wins), and the panel knows which pack the model came from, who made it and under which license. Hover a thumbnail to see it:

{
  "name": "Nature Kit",
  "short": "Nature",
  "author": "Some Artist",
  "license": "CC0",
  "url": "https://example.com/nature-kit",
  "credits": [{ "asset": "pine", "author": "Other Artist" }]
}

short is the label on each thumbnail while Slugs is ticked, and falls back to name. credits overrides the author, license or url of single models, matched by file name without extension. Folders without a pack.json are listed under their top folder's name.