Convert glTF to OBJ — strip to static geometry
Strip a modern glTF down to a clean OBJ + .mtl pair. Useful for CAD viewers, photogrammetry tools, slicers — anything that wants static geometry without runtime overhead. Animations, rigs and PBR are dropped on purpose.
gltf to obj converter · convert .gltf to .obj · gltf obj online
Drop a file
glTF
.gltf
Export
OBJ
.obj
Why convert glTF to OBJ?
glTF is the modern runtime format. OBJ is the universal static-geometry format. Going from glTF to OBJ is a deliberate downgrade: you trade animations, rigs and PBR for portability and simplicity. The result reads in every 3D tool ever made.
Geometry, UVs and vertex normals come through. Vertex colors come through where the downstream tool supports them. The material slot is simplified: glTF's baseColor becomes the .mtl diffuse, the baseColorTexture is exported and referenced from the .mtl. PBR-specific maps (roughness, metalness, AO, emissive) are dropped — OBJ's .mtl spec predates PBR.
Useful when: feeding glTF stock into ZBrush, MeshLab, MeshMixer, slicer software, photogrammetry pipelines, academic toolchains, or any older tool that doesn't speak glTF.
What survives the glTF → OBJ conversion
Computed automatically from the capabilities of each format.
| Feature | glTF | OBJ | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry (vertices & faces) | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| UV texture coordinates | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Vertex normals | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Vertex colors | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Basic materials (diffuse, specular) | — | ✓ | N/A |
| PBR materials (metalness/roughness) | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Keyframe animations | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Skeletons & rigs (skinning) | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Morph targets / blend shapes | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Multiple meshes in one file | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Parent/child hierarchy | ✓ | — | Lost |
When you need this conversion
Tips
Common pitfalls
Read these before converting — they save hours of debugging in your engine.
Animations are dropped
OBJ is static. Skeletal animation, morph targets, keyframes — all gone. The export is the bind pose.
PBR maps lost
OBJ's .mtl is pre-PBR. baseColor and normal maps survive; roughness, metalness, AO, emissive don't.
External texture paths need resolution
If your glTF references textures externally, drop them alongside before converting. The converter follows glTF's URI logic for embedded vs external references.
Three output files at minimum
The OBJ comes with a sibling .mtl, plus any extracted texture image files. Keep them together when sharing.