Which formats each engine prefers, and how to get your assets to import cleanly
Every major game engine can technically import several 3D formats, but "can import" and "imports cleanly with everything intact" are two different things. Picking the format each engine actually prefers — rather than whatever your modeling tool exports by default — saves a lot of debugging time later.
Unity's asset pipeline is built around FBX, and it handles rigged, animated FBX imports the most reliably of any format. GLTF import is supported but generally reserved for runtime-loaded content rather than pipeline assets.
Like Unity, Unreal's import pipeline is optimized for FBX — including its Skeletal Mesh and Animation Blueprint systems. GLTF support exists but is newer and less commonly used for full production pipelines.
Godot's documentation explicitly recommends GLTF/GLB as the best-supported format, citing more consistent material and animation import behavior compared to FBX in the engine's open-source importer.
Engines and frameworks like Three.js, Babylon.js, and PlayCanvas are built around GLTF/GLB as their native format — it's the only real option for browser-based real-time 3D.
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