Blender vs 3ds Max for Babylon.js 9.0 — which modeling software and export format is recommended?

Questions
1

Hi everyone :wave:

I’m starting a new project with Babylon.js 9.0 and need some guidance on the asset creation pipeline.

:thinking: My Questions

  1. Which modeling software is recommended for use with Babylon.js 9.0 — Blender or 3ds Max?

    • Mainly concerned about PBR material compatibility and export workflow smoothness.

  2. What export format should I use?

    • glTF / GLB?
    • .babylon?
    • Something else?
    • Which one gives the best feature support (PBR, lights, animations) and loading performance?

:mag_right: What I’ve Already Checked

  • Read the Importing Assets documentation.
  • Searched the forum — found some older discussions (7.x/8.x era) but nothing specific to 9.0.
  • This is a general workflow question, so no Playground link — no code issue to reproduce.

:building_construction: My Use Case

  • Product visualization with PBR materials
  • No character animation needed (for now)
  • Targeting both WebGPU and WebGL 2

:package: Environment

  • Babylon.js 9.0
  • macOS
  • Chrome / Safari

Any recommendations, tips on export settings, or things to watch out for would be really helpful. Thanks in advance! :pray:

2

I think the Babylon Exporter for Blender addon only works for Blender version 3.5 or lower, so you’d need to download that version of Blender to use the addon.

I’d suggest using whatever 3D software you’re most comfortable with and then export as glTF / GLB.

GLB will provide the smallest file size / best load performance.

3

Yup gltf all the way. We really want to support one universal format. We make sure to always support all the new features and extensions to keep gltf relevant