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Reference Formats

glTF

An open, royalty-free Khronos Group standard for efficient runtime delivery of 3D scenes and models, designed as a compact, load-fast 'JPEG of 3D' rather than an editing format.

Extension

.gltf

Full name

GL Transmission Format

Introduced

glTF 1.0 released October 2015; glTF 2.0 released June 5, 2017

Vendor

Khronos Group

What is inside the container

A .gltf file is JSON describing the scene graph, nodes, cameras, materials (using a physically based rendering model as of 2.0), and animation, with binary geometry data typically stored in a separate .bin file and textures as separate image files (or base64-embedded). Unlike FBX or COLLADA, glTF was explicitly designed for fast parsing and GPU-ready data layout rather than as a full authoring interchange format — it deliberately omits some DCC-specific constructs to stay lean. Because of this design goal it has become the standard delivery format for web and real-time 3D viewers.

How to open it

Web browser Khronos' own glTF Sample Viewer or Google's model-viewer web component render glTF/GLB directly in-browser via WebGL/WebGPU
Windows 10/11 Microsoft's 3D Viewer app opens glTF files natively
Windows/macOS/Linux Blender (free) imports and exports glTF 2.0 with full PBR material support
macOS/iOS Apple's Reality Converter and Quick Look preview glTF (and convert it to USDZ) on Apple platforms

For archives

glTF's strength for a DAM is that it's the one 3D format actually designed to be lightweight enough for direct in-browser preview, so a DAM aiming for a genuine no-plugin 3D preview experience should treat glTF/GLB as its preferred web-delivery rendition, generated from richer source files (FBX, Blender, CAD) rather than as the archival master itself. Because glTF intentionally strips out some authoring-only data, keep the original higher-fidelity source file as the editable master and use glTF as a derivative delivery asset, mirroring how a DAM keeps a RAW/PSD master alongside a web-optimized JPEG. Most general-purpose DAMs still need a WebGL-capable viewer component (like model-viewer) integrated to realize this benefit — plain thumbnail generation is not equivalent to true interactive preview.

glTF traces back to a 2012 demo at SIGGRAPH by members of the COLLADA working group, presented under the working name WebGL Transmission Format. The Khronos Group — the same industry consortium behind OpenGL, Vulkan, and COLLADA — released glTF 1.0 in October 2015, and followed with a complete overhaul in glTF 2.0 on June 5, 2017, which added physically based rendering materials and folded binary packaging into the core specification.

Khronos has consistently framed glTF’s purpose with a specific comparison: Tony Parisi, one of the format’s co-editors, described it as intended to be a universal delivery format for 3D "much like JPEG for 2D images and MPEG for videos" — a framing Khronos leadership has repeated as glTF becoming the "JPEG for 3D objects." That positioning is deliberate: glTF is not meant to replace authoring formats like Maya or Blender project files, but to be the compact, fast-loading output those tools export to once a model is ready for a browser, game engine, or AR viewer.

For DAM systems, glTF is increasingly the answer to the field’s biggest usability gap — most digital asset managers still can’t render 3D content the way they render images — because glTF (paired with a WebGL viewer component) is light enough to preview directly in a browser without a plugin. A mature 3D-asset DAM workflow typically retains a richer authoring file as the archival master and auto-generates a glTF/GLB rendition specifically for in-DAM preview and lightweight web delivery, the same relationship a photo DAM maintains between a RAW master and a web JPEG.

Frequently asked

Why is glTF called the 'JPEG of 3D'?

Khronos and glTF's co-editors describe it that way because, like JPEG for images, glTF is designed as a compact, universally supported delivery format optimized for fast loading and consistent rendering, not as an editable source format.

Should a DAM store glTF as the master asset or as a derivative?

As a derivative, generally — glTF is optimized for delivery and can omit some authoring-only data, so the richer source file (FBX, Blender, CAD export) should remain the archival master with glTF generated as a preview/delivery rendition.

Can a DAM preview glTF directly in the browser without a plugin?

Yes, if the DAM integrates a WebGL-based viewer such as Google's model-viewer or the Khronos Sample Viewer — glTF was specifically engineered to make this kind of lightweight in-browser 3D preview practical, unlike heavier CAD or DCC formats.

What's the difference between .gltf and .glb for DAM storage?

A .gltf file is JSON referencing separate binary and texture files (multiple files per asset), while .glb packages everything into one binary file — DAMs generally prefer .glb for simpler single-file asset management.

Does glTF support animation and rigging like FBX?

Yes, glTF 2.0 supports skeletal animation, morph targets, and keyframe animation, though its feature set is intentionally narrower than FBX's, focused on what's needed for efficient runtime playback rather than full DCC interchange.

Why would a DAM convert FBX or CAD files to glTF specifically?

To produce a fast, browser-renderable preview for search results and asset detail pages — glTF's compact size and GPU-friendly layout make it dramatically faster to load in a viewer than most authoring formats.

Is glTF a proprietary or open format?

It's an open, royalty-free standard maintained by the Khronos Group (the same body behind OpenGL and Vulkan), which makes it a lower long-term risk choice for DAM delivery pipelines than a vendor-proprietary format.

How does glTF handle materials compared to older formats like COLLADA?

glTF 2.0 standardized on a physically based rendering (PBR) material model, giving more consistent, realistic appearance across different viewers and engines than older formats' looser material definitions.

Sources