Choose for the next job, not the filename
For a shape review, a static mesh may be enough. For relighting a premium product, the team also needs surface assignments, textures and references. For a product animation, an articulated assembly or rig may matter. Ask which of these must survive before selecting an export.
Keep the native source and its revision. A conversion is a delivery derivative, not a replacement for editable CAD or the production scene. Record the destination application and the checks its recipient will perform.
Separate format capability from this converter’s scope
GLB can carry materials and scene data, but the Labs mesh conversion routes use a bounded static subset. The GLB-to-FBX route rejects animation, skins, cameras, morph targets and unsupported compressed features. Its FBX output bakes mesh transforms into world-space geometry and writes normals with a neutral material. UVs, textures, hierarchy and source metadata are not retained.
OBJ-to-STL produces a binary triangle surface. It drops material, colour and UV information. OBJ can reference companion materials in other workflows; this geometry conversion does not deliver a complete textured asset. An STL should not be chosen to preserve a finish or a component hierarchy.
Prove units with a small known object
Use the built-in square before an unfamiliar route: it spans 1 × 1 source units and contains two triangles. For the GLB sample those units are metres. GLB-to-FBX writes a 100 × 100 coordinate span with centimetres declared, so the physical square remains 1 × 1 m. This is a numeric scale change, not a larger product.
OBJ-to-STL retains the coordinate numbers. The formats do not establish a reliable physical unit for this handoff, so record your unit assumption separately and apply the same assumption in the receiving software. A 1-unit square interpreted as millimetres is not the same physical size as a 1-metre square. Test a known product dimension as well as the sample.
Reopen and check what matters
Compare overall dimensions, orientation, part placement and visible silhouette. Inspect a recognisable asymmetric feature: a symmetric sample alone cannot reveal every axis or orientation mistake. Check face direction and shading, then confirm the expected triangle count for the controlled sample.
Passing a file validator does not confirm that the shape matches the latest engineering revision. A visually plausible mesh does not certify wall thickness, watertightness or manufacturing suitability. Keep those checks separate from a successful conversion.
Send a short loss and approval record
Include source revision, source and destination units, conversion route, known dimension, missing parts and deliberate losses. Say explicitly when materials must be rebuilt. Identify who approves geometry and who approves the final appearance.
For a premium product film, stills or interactive asset, bring the native source, approved finish references and the intended first deliverable to the studio. The neutral mesh can help discuss geometry, while the original material information remains available for production.
- GLB-to-FBX: up to 250,000 vertices, 500,000 triangles and 1,000 meshes; output capped at 100 MiB.
- OBJ-to-STL: up to 50 MiB input, 500,000 vertices and 1,000,000 triangles; output capped at 100 MiB.
- Check the tool’s current supported-input message before choosing a real production file.