Get 48,000 free 3D models, HDRIs and materials from BlenderKit
Blender asset library BlenderKit just reached a significant milestone: it now contains over 100,000 assets for use in visualization, animation, games and VFX projects.
Just under half of them are free, meaning that users can download over 17,000 free 3D models, 26,000 free materials and 2,000 free HDRIs, for use in commercial projects.
The ‘largest asset library integrated into Blender’
Founded in 2017, BlenderKit integrates an online library of 3D assets directly into Blender, making it possible to import them directly into the open-source 3D software.
On its launch, the BlenderKit team not only developed the add-on that integrated the library into Blender, but created all of the content, “pulling crazy all-nighters”.
Since then, BlenderKit has expanded greatly – the team claims that it is now the largest library integrated in Blender – with content from over 2,000 individual artists, both free and paid-for.
Browse and download stock 3D assets directly within Blender
Unlike most online asset libraries, you can’t download assets directly from BlenderKit: you need to install the BlenderKit add-on.
It adds a menu bar inside Blender from which you can search the content on the site, inspect details of individual assets, then drag and drop them directly into a scene, simplifying setup.
You can also browse the library online, and click on the ‘Get this’ button for individual assets, which shows a download code that you can then paste into the Blender add-on.
Free 3D models, materials, HDRIs, brushes, and even complete 3D scenes
At the time of writing, over 48,000 of the assets on BlenderKit are available free, the majority of them 3D models or materials.
Models include architectural assets, household objects, props, vehicles, weapons, and some 3D characters, although the strengths of the library are really hard surface assets and 3D plants.
Materials include a range of common asset types for visualization projects, including rock, wood, metal, plastics, glass, bricks, ground, organic materials, and a lot of different fabrics.
In addition, the library includes a large set of free HDRIs, including both interior and exterior environments, and manually created studio lighting setups.
There are also smaller numbers of sculpting brushes, add-ons, and complete 3D scenes: the latter vary considerably, but include readymade product visualization or motion graphics setups.
Formats and resolutions vary from asset to asset, but materials usually have textures at least 2,096 x 2,096px in resolution, and HDRIs are usually up to at least 8,192px in width.
As you would expect with assets from so many different artists, the quality of the free resources also varies, but the site provides a range of user-rating scores to help filter content, including options to filter by quality, complexity or overall asset score.
Paid subscriptions provide access to even more assets, online storage and add-ons
Paid subscriptions on BlenderKit provide access to the other half of the assets available, plus 2GB of online storage, extra add-ons and extended customer support.
For artists and studios with under $100,000/year in revenue, subscriptions cost $14.90/month or $108/year. Business subscriptions cost $40/month or $300/year.
License and system requirements
The BlenderKit plugin is compatible with Blender 3.0+. The assets in the library are available under RF (Royalty-Free) and CC0 licenses, and are can be used in commercial projects.
Browse the free 3D assets available in the BlenderKit asset library
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