Free online GLTF to OBJ converter

A CAD package, older renderer, or 3D-printing workflow may accept OBJ but not glTF, requiring a static mesh export before editing or import. OBJ also provides a broadly supported format for sharing geometry with software that does not read glTF materials or scene data.

What the glTF format is

glTF (GL Transmission Format) is a Khronos Group specification for transmitting and loading 3D scenes in web, game, AR, and VR applications. A .gltf file contains JSON and may reference binary buffers and image textures; those resources can also be embedded as data. A .glb file packages the JSON, geometry, and commonly the textures into one binary file.

Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, asset libraries, product configurators, browser-based viewers, and AR applications use glTF. Depending on the asset, it can contain meshes, textures, physically based materials, cameras, lights, scene hierarchies, morph targets, and skeletal or other animations.

What the OBJ format is

OBJ is a plain-text Wavefront geometry format supported by most 3D modeling, CAD, visualization, and 3D-printing software. It stores vertex positions, texture coordinates, vertex normals, polygon faces, object names, and groups. Material assignments are normally stored in a separate .mtl file, while image textures remain separate files.

OBJ is useful for exchanging a static mesh because its readable structure has broad legacy support and can be inspected or modified with scripts. It does not preserve a complete glTF scene: OBJ has no standard support for skeletal animation, morph animation, cameras, lights, node behavior, or glTF's physically based material model.

How to convert a glTF file to OBJ

Blender is the most practical desktop option because it imports both .gltf and .glb and exports OBJ without requiring a separate converter.

1. Install and open Blender. Remove the default cube if it is not needed.
2. Choose File → Import → glTF 2.0 (.glb/.gltf).
3. Select the source file. For a .gltf asset, keep every referenced buffer and texture at its original relative path, or Blender may import an incomplete model.
4. Check the model in the 3D viewport. Select the objects to export; apply any transformations or modifiers that must become part of the exported mesh.
5. Choose File → Export → Wavefront (.obj).
6. Enable Selection Only if the OBJ should contain only the selected objects. Enable Apply Modifiers when the exported geometry must include subdivision, solidify, or other modifier results.
7. Set the destination and confirm Export OBJ. Keep the generated .obj, .mtl, and referenced image textures together, unless the destination application uses different asset paths.

For a conversion without installing software, the free converter on 101convert.com can process the file. Upload the glTF source, choose OBJ, start the conversion, and download the resulting OBJ and any accompanying material or texture files. A desktop workflow is preferable for private assets or glTF files with multiple dependent resources.

Command-line conversion

Assimp's command-line tools can convert many mesh formats:

assimp export model.gltf model.obj

Use the .glb filename instead for binary glTF input. Assimp support for glTF extensions and material properties varies by version, so inspect the generated OBJ and .mtl in the destination application.

Quality and compatibility limits

Mesh positions, faces, normals, and usually texture coordinates transfer, but the conversion is not lossless for scene data. Animations, cameras, lights, node hierarchies, interactive behavior, and morph targets may be discarded. An animated asset generally becomes one or more static meshes.

glTF metallic-roughness materials do not map exactly to the older OBJ/MTL model. Base-color textures often transfer, but metallic, roughness, normal, occlusion, emissive, transmission, clearcoat, and other material properties may be simplified or lost. Verify the result with its .mtl file and image textures; relink missing maps in the receiving application when required.

OBJ has no standard unit declaration. glTF uses meters and a right-handed, Y-up coordinate convention, while OBJ importers may apply different units or axis directions. Check scale and orientation after import, and use Blender's OBJ export axis options when the receiving program requires a particular forward or up axis.

A binary .glb is often smaller and easier to distribute than the output set, while text-based OBJ can be substantially larger and may produce several external files. Use OBJ for static-mesh compatibility, editing, or fabrication workflows rather than for preserving a complete glTF scene.