How to make a roblox model in blender

In Roblox, models from third-party modeling tools are called meshes. A mesh is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that make up a 3D object such as a prop, building, or character. Meshes can include far more detail than any objects you model using parts in Studio. They can also have internal rigs and textures, allowing you to create lifelike deformable objects that you can pose and animate.

You can import meshes that you create using third-party software, such as Blender or Maya, as a MeshPart into Studio, or you can find thousands of meshes made by Roblox and the Roblox community within the Creator Marketplace to use within your experience.

For information on modeling tools available within Studio, see Modeling in Studio.

Mesh Types

Studio supports several mesh types, such as rigged and skinned meshes that require additional steps to set up before importing into Studio. When creating a generic, rigged, or skinned mesh, see Mesh Requirements for modeling specifications and guidelines for use in Studio. Once you model your mesh, see Export Requirements for instructions on exporting your model from Blender or Maya.

Rigging

A rigid mesh with a rig, or internal skeleton structure, can articulate at specific points of the mesh based on its rig. See Rigging for more details and modeling guides on adding rigs to meshes.

Skinning

A skinned model is a rigged mesh that bends naturally at specific points, creating a more natural pose. See Skinning for more details and modeling guides on skinning a rigged mesh.

Surface Appearance

You can apply advanced textures created in a third-party application to a mesh using SurfaceAppearance. SurfaceAppearance uses up to 4 separate image files to create a realistic surface on the parented mesh in a variety of lighting scenarios. See Surface Appearance for more details and examples of using these specialized textures.

Meshes in Studio

You can search through the Creator Marketplace for a large catalog of community-uploaded meshes to use in your experience, or import your own. When adding meshes to your experience, you can configure textures, details, collisions, and more. See Meshes in Studio for more information on discovering, importing, and configuring meshes in Studio.

You can use a third party modeling tool, such as Blender or Maya, to create the layered 3D model that you can import into Studio as an Accessory. To create a layered model, you must parent (Blender) or bind (Maya) a 3D model to a mannequin armature and then modify two additional meshes to fit around the inner and outer surface of the accessory model.

This guide covers the basic workflow for converting a 3D model into a layerable model in Blender using the following steps:

1. Importing a 3D asset into a template Blender project file.

2. Parenting the imported mesh object to the project file's armature rig with Automatic Weights.

3. Editing the Inner and Outer Cage meshes to represent the inner and outer surface of the model.

A full list of asset requirements for a layered model can be found in Layered Model Requirements.

Importing

Set up the project by opening the template project and importing the sample accessory model.

To import and parent the accessory model:

1. In Blender, open the template project. This file contains the default armature and the two cages required for layered accessories.

   

2. In the Outliner, expand the Cage group and make the _InnerCage and _OuterCage visible by toggling the Hide icon.

3. In the File Menu, select Import and click FBX (.fbx). Select the accessory model file you intend to fit onto the mannequin. The accessory populates in the workspace and, depending on how the asset was modeled, may need resizing or adjustment to fit on the mannequin.

Parenting and Weighting

Parent the imported mesh to the template mannequin armature using automatic weights. Parenting the accessory model mesh to the armature enables the 3D model to move and deform with the character in Studio.

Complex clothing and accessory items with moving parts may require more precise weighting with Blender's Weight Painting or other skinning tools.

To parent the mesh object with the mannequin armature:

1. In the Outliner, temporarily hide both of the Cage objects to expose the Armature by toggling the Hide icon.

2. In the Workspace, click the mesh object, then hold Shift and click the mannequin's armature.

3. Right click, or use Ctrl/Cmd+P to parent the accessory to the armature by selecting Automatic Weights.

4. Reduce visual clutter by hiding the all objects except the cages and model. Click on the

   
   symbol next to the object in the Outlier panel.

Editing Inner and Outer Cage Meshes

In the template, both the inner and outer cages start as identical mesh objects. When setting up the cages, the accessory model needs to fit on top of the inner cage and then the outer cage must be adjusted to fit tightly over the model object.

Don't delete vertices or alter the UVs on the Inner or Outer Cages as this can cause errors when importing in Studio or when equipping onto a character.

To modify cages for your accessory model:

1. In the Outliner panel, rename the _InnerCage and _OuterCage meshes to match the imported mesh object (ex. Tshirt_InnerCage, Tshirt_OuterCage). Make sure this exactly matches the mesh name that you imported.

   

2. In the Outliner window, select the _OuterCage mesh and switch to Edit Mode Tab.

3. In the Viewport, enable X-Ray view and Materials View to improve visibility and access to the vertices of the outer cage mesh.

4. While in Edit Mode, adjust the vertices with the Edit Mode tools so that the Outer Cage completely covers the top of the accessory.

A finished outer cage should completely cover the accessory with minimal extra space. For comparison, you can download a completed caged version of the Tshirt model here.

When finished with the caging and modeling of your asset, see Exporting Requirements for details on exporting the model from Blender.

After exporting, see Converting Models to Layered Accessories for instructions on importing and converting the model into a usable accessory.

Tips for Editing Cages

The following tips may be helpful when manipulating your cage vertices:

• On the top-right of the Viewport, toggle different Viewport Shading options, such as Material Preview and X-Ray, when necessary to better access vertices and view your caging progress.

• You can hide vertices you're currently not adjusting by using Hide (H) and Unhide (Alt+H).

• Multiple vertices can be selected and adjusted at the same time. Use Move, Scale, or any other Blender tools to make adjustments to multiple vertices at once.