Uploading Your Models

When you bring a 3D model into Glossi, the process is straightforward while still giving you the control you need for great-looking renders. Most major 3D formats are supported, with USD/USDZ, glTF/GLB, and FBX providing the smoothest experience since they keep materials and textures intact during upload.

This page covers what happens during an upload and how to prepare your file for the best result. For the library page itself — browsing, filtering, and managing models after they're in your workspace — see the Models library page guide.

Two ways to add a model

The Add Model dialog (opened from the Add Model button on the Models library page, or by dragging a file directly onto the page) gives you two paths:

• Upload — Drop one or more existing 3D files. Glossi converts and processes them in the background.

• Photos — Provide a few photos of an object from different angles and Glossi's AI generates a 3D model for you. Useful when you don't have a CAD/3D source file but you do have the physical product.

The rest of this guide focuses on the Upload path. For the photo path, the modal walks you through the steps inline.

Step-by-step upload

1. Drop your files

From the Models library page, click Add Model and stay on the Upload tab, or drag your files directly onto the page.

• Recommended formats: USD/USDZ, glTF/GLB, and FBX with embedded materials give the cleanest results.

• Other formats: OBJ, STL, GLTF (split JSON), and a wide range of others are accepted but may need material reassignment in the studio.

• File size: Files under 100 MB upload fastest; the maximum allowed per file is 1 GB.

• Multiple files at once: The modal accepts batched uploads — drop a folder of products and Glossi processes them in parallel.

For the full list of accepted file types, see Supported File Types. For file-prep best practices before uploading, see Preparing Your 3D Assets. For how to export from a specific 3D tool, see the import-from-3d-tool guides.

2. Workspace unwrap behavior

The Upload modal shows a quiet caption beneath the dropzone telling you how your model will be processed:

• Auto-fix all — Glossi will automatically fix texture mapping for every uploaded model.

• Auto-fix when needed — Glossi will only fix texture mapping for models that need it.

• Use as-is — Uploaded models are not auto-unwrapped; what you upload is what gets rendered.

This is a workspace setting and applies to every upload from your workspace. The "Change in settings" link in the modal takes you to the workspace setting if you want to change the default. For a deeper explanation, see Model Unwrapping.

3. Automatic model validation

While processing, Glossi checks three key elements:

• Materials — Materials define how surfaces look and react to light. When your model includes materials, they transfer directly into Glossi. If materials are missing, surfaces appear gray and you can apply new materials from your workspace's material library.

• Textures — Textures add detail and realism to surfaces. When your model includes textures, they carry over with their full detail. Without textures, surfaces are smooth until you add them in the studio.

• Colors — Basic visual properties you can assign in CAD tools. Found colors maintain your original design intent. Where colors are missing, surfaces appear neutral gray until you adjust them.

4. Processing and optimization

Glossi optimizes the model for real-time use in the studio. The geometry — the actual shape and structure — stays exactly as you designed it; we convert everything into a format that streams cleanly through the studio.

Note: Processing time depends on file size. Most models are ready in a couple of minutes. Larger files (or files with very high-resolution textures) can take up to about 10 minutes.

You can close the Add Model dialog as soon as the upload starts. Placeholder cards on the Models library page track each upload's progress until processing finishes — you don't need to keep the modal open.

Best practices

Glossi's rendering capabilities scale with your model's quality. The engine handles high-resolution textures, complex materials, and detailed geometry — the limiting factor is usually the model you bring in, not the platform.

To get the best results, prepare your model before uploading:

• Verify all materials are properly assigned and named

• Check model scale and position

• Clean up any geometry issues (non-manifold edges, overlapping faces)

• Optimize mesh density for the level of detail the camera will see

• Bake or embed textures into the file format where possible

For detailed guidance, see Preparing Your 3D Assets and Optimizing Models.

Related

• Models library page — Browsing, filtering, and managing models after upload.

• Model Variants — Connecting different versions of the same product as variants of a single model.

• Supported File Types

• Preparing Your 3D Assets

• Optimizing Models

• Model Unwrapping