A careful GLB import recipe for Godot 4

Begin with the verification boundary

This is a Godot 4 import recipe, not a checked Godot engine result. Existing Meshsmiths proof parsed specific barrel and lantern GLB samples with three.js GLTFLoader and checked a browser export round trip. Those checks demonstrate useful binary behaviour in that environment, but they do not establish Godot material fidelity, collision support or animation playback. Unity tooling is also untested here. Keep this boundary visible in your project notes so a successful web preview is not mistaken for an engine qualification.

Start with one real record, such as Quench barrel, and inspect its current access, provenance and available formats. A visible preview does not mean that every format of every version is released. Confirm the selected version before saving anything into your game. If access or delivery is unavailable, report that limitation and choose another permitted test rather than inventing a download path. Read the licence terms and retain the delivered version's record beside the binary you actually receive.

Export a binary, not a JavaScript module

Set supported knobs in the preview and open the Use it GLB tab. That path exports the exact object on the table, including current knobs and visible parts, and reloads it through GLTFLoader before the browser saves the file. The output is a static binary scene. The neighbouring ES module tab reconstructs a static three.js object, which is a different format and is not the file used by this Godot recipe. Keep the distinction clear when saving files or asking a teammate to reproduce your import.

Write down the piece ID, knob values and local filename before moving the binary. Use a simple project folder such as res://models/ and wait for the editor to import the file. In this example the filename is quench-barrel.glb, matching the source panel's naming convention. If you rename it, update the preload path too. Avoid replacing the file silently while an old import result is being evaluated; give deliberate variants separate names and note which one is represented in the scene.

Instantiate it from an existing node

The source panel shows a preload followed by instantiate and add_child. Use that sequence in an appropriate function on an existing node, such as the ready callback for a small test scene. The imported GLB scene becomes a child of the node running the script. Keep the parent transform simple during the first pass so a scale or rotation issue is not obscured by several nested transforms. This is a starting recipe; check your actual engine version and import settings before treating it as a project convention.

If the scene is missing, first confirm the local path and that the editor finished importing. Then check the camera, lighting and parent visibility. Preserve the original binary while changing import options, and write down each change. A failed import is useful evidence when its filename, engine version and error are recorded. Do not call it a successful integration just because a node exists in the scene tree. You need to see the intended geometry, inspect its materials and verify its placement under a known camera.

# Requires the exported quench-barrel.glb.
# Keep the selected knobs in your manifest.
func _ready():
    var piece = preload("res://models/quench-barrel.glb").instantiate()
    add_child(piece)

Verify metres, orientation and ground contact

Meshsmiths uses metres, Y-up and positive Z forward, with footprints centred in X and Z and origins resting at Y zero. Compare the imported object with a metre reference in Godot rather than relying on the viewport zoom. Verify its facing direction against the convention your game uses. A deliberate rotation in your placement manifest is clearer than altering the source until it happens to look correct. Check ground contact from several angles, especially if the parent node has a nonidentity transform.

For a Foundry yard assembly, read the kit usage contract and use its four-metre structural grid. Keep scene-wide wear consistent for parts that expose it. Do not carry that grid into another kit without checking its record. Props on uneven ground need terrain-height decisions rather than guessed offsets. A placement that is technically on a grid can still obstruct a player path or float above a slope. Test the result with your real controller and camera, not only in an isolated import scene.

Add project behaviour and record the result

Create the collision and interaction your project requires explicitly. Do not assume a static snapshot includes physics shapes, navigation, LODs or a working animation rig. Read the piece detail for supplied capabilities, and separately exercise anything you add. Materials should be inspected under the game's actual light and environment settings. Count every instance when budgeting geometry and measure performance at representative density. The word low-poly does not guarantee inexpensive shadows, draw calls or physics in a crowded level.

The public brief mentions a Godot addon, but its existence does not convert this recipe into a tested editor integration. Consult that package's README for its installation and verification limits before using it. If an agent helps, have it read prompt.txt and retain real IDs, settings, placements, access findings and unresolved gaps. preview_scene is a catalogue summary rather than an engine render. Finish with your own engine-versioned import note and screenshot; keep all unexercised behaviour marked open until you run the corresponding check.