Blender add-on

The Blender add-on puts everything you own in Blender's sidebar. Browse your packs and models with thumbnails, click one, and it lands in your scene — no browser tab, no downloads folder, no unzipping. It is free, works with the free assets, and needs Blender 4.2 LTS or newer.

Setup is one URL and one key.

Install it#

In Blender, open Edit → Preferences → Get Extensions. Use the dropdown at the top right and choose Add Remote Repository, then paste:

https://extensions.threejsassets.com/blender/index.json

Confirm, search for ThreeJS Assets, and select Install. Blender offers every later version in the same screen, so you never download a file by hand.

If you would rather install from a file, the extension is also published as a .zip on the integrations page — use Preferences → Add-ons → Install from Disk. You will need to repeat that for each update, which is the one thing the repository saves you.

Connect your account#

The add-on reads your library over the same REST API as everything else, so it needs an API key. Create one in Account → Connections with the catalog:read and downloads:read scopes, then paste it into the add-on's preferences and select Verify key.

A mistyped key is rejected immediately, without a request leaving your machine. See API authentication and keys for how keys, scopes and expiry work.

Studios can skip the paste entirely by setting TJA_API_KEY in the environment Blender launches from. That takes precedence over anything stored in preferences, so a workstation image or render node can carry the key without anyone typing it.

Allow Blender online#

Blender ships with network access switched off. The add-on will not make a single request until you turn it on in Preferences → System → Network → Allow Online Access — the panel says so, with a button that flips it for you.

If Blender was started with --offline-mode, the setting is locked for that session and the panel tells you that instead. Restart without the flag.

Browse and import#

Press <kbd>N</kbd> in the 3D viewport and pick the ThreeJS Assets tab, then select Refresh.

Everything you own appears as thumbnail cards — packs first, then individual models. Search by name, filter by kind, or switch to the list view when your library gets large. Selecting an item shows its details and an Import button.

Imports land in their own collection, named after the item, at the world origin or your 3D cursor — both are preferences. A pack offers two downloads:

• Editable source — the authoring files. This is the one you want in Blender.
• Runtime bundle — the web-optimized build, the same artifact you would ship in a three.js project.

Files are cached on disk, so the second import of an asset is instant and costs no download. The cache location and a Clear cache button are in preferences.

Drag from the Asset Browser#

If you prefer Blender's own Asset Browser, set Browse with to Asset Browser or Both in preferences, then select Open Asset Browser. It docks along the bottom of the window with your models as previews, ready to drag into the viewport like any built-in asset.

Items appear there once they have been added — use Add to Asset Browser on an item, Publish everything to do the lot, or switch on Add to Asset Browser on import so anything you import is added automatically. Each item becomes one draggable asset: a pack or a multi-part model comes in as a collection, not as loose meshes.

Updates never change your scene#

When an asset gets a new version, the add-on downloads it alongside the old one and marks the item Update available. Nothing already in an open file is replaced — re-importing is your decision, not something that happens while you work.

The add-on itself updates through Blender's own Extensions screen, and only when you choose to.

If something is wrong#

"That API key was rejected" — check the Site URL in the add-on's advanced preferences. If it is not https://threejsassets.com, your key is being sent somewhere that has never seen it; the panel shows a warning and a one-click reset.

Nothing in the Asset Browser — items appear there only once added. The panel says so, with a button to add them.

A model will not import — the add-on always fetches the authoring artifact, which Blender's glTF importer reads. If you hit a file it refuses, contact support with the asset slug.

Related#

• API quickstart — the REST API the add-on is built on
• API authentication and keys — scopes, expiry, revoking
• Connect an AI assistant — the other first-party client
• Asset format specification — what is inside a GLB and an editable source bundle
• Scale, orientation & pivots — how models arrive in your scene