blender-export

MCP backend

Use when: Any export to a non-.blend format, packaging for game engines, web, AR, or 3D printing.

Before the first Blender call, read ../text-to-blender/references/mcp-backends.md. Prefer official MCP for shared capabilities; preserve the selected backend for the whole task. Tool names in recipes are client/legacy examples: map them through that reference and its agent-host guide.

Blender Export

Export to the right format with the right settings. Wrong format choice = days of debugging in the target platform.

Format decision tree

Where is this going?
├── Web (Three.js, Babylon.js, model-viewer, AR Quick Look) → glTF / GLB
├── Game engine (Unity, Unreal, Godot)
│   ├── Animated/rigged → FBX (or glTF for modern engines)
│   └── Static → OBJ or FBX or glTF
├── Apple AR (USDZ) → USDZ (special, see Recipe 6)
├── 3D printing → STL (geometry only, must be watertight)
├── VFX pipeline (Maya, Houdini, Nuke) → USD
└── DCC roundtrip → FBX (industry standard)

Quick rule for unknown target: glTF / GLB. Open standard, modern, universally supported.

Recipes

Recipe 1 — glTF / GLB export (web / AR / general)

import bpy

bpy.ops.export_scene.gltf(
    filepath='/tmp/output.glb',
    export_format='GLB',                 # single-file binary; preferred
    export_apply=True,                   # apply modifiers before export
    export_materials='EXPORT',
    export_image_format='AUTO',          # PNG; AUTO falls back to JPEG for opaque images
    export_yup=True,                     # Y-up convention (most engines / web expect this)
    export_animations=True,              # toggle off for static models
    export_morph=True,                   # shape keys
    export_skins=True,                   # armatures + weights
    export_normals=True,
    export_tangents=False,               # skip unless target uses tangent-space normals beyond standard
)

# Verify
import os
size_mb = os.path.getsize('/tmp/output.glb') / (1024 * 1024)
print(f"export:gltf {size_mb:.2f} MB")