---
id: pygltflib
version: "1.16.5"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# pygltflib — Python library for reading, writing and managing 3D objects in the Khronos Group gltf and gltf2 formats.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 817.4K/mo

## What it is and what it does

pygltflib is a Python library for working with GLTF and GLB 3D model files, the standard formats defined by the Khronos Group. It provides a complete, type-hinted API to load, create, modify, and save 3D scenes with full support for the GLTF v2 specification—including meshes, materials, animations, and vendor extensions. The library handles both text-based GLTF and binary GLB formats, and can convert between them, embed or externalize buffer data, and extract or import image files.

The package is built on three runtime dependencies: dataclasses for structured data, dataclasses-json for serialization, and deprecated for marking obsolete APIs. It works across Python 3.6 and above and is widely used in 3D graphics pipelines where standardized model interchange is needed.

Use it for:

- Load and inspect GLTF/GLB models in a Python application to read mesh geometry, materials, and animations.
- Convert between GLTF and GLB formats, or switch buffer storage between embedded data URIs, external binary files, and GLB blobs.
- Extract images from GLTF files and save them as files, or import image files as assets into a model.
- Programmatically create 3D scenes and meshes from scratch and export them in GLTF format.
- Validate GLTF objects for specification compliance and troubleshoot structural issues in model files.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Reads, writes, and manipulates GLTF and GLB 3D model files with full support for the GLTF v2 specification, including materials, animations, and extensions.

Yes, if you need to work with GLTF/GLB files in Python. The package is mature, has no known vulnerabilities, carries a permissive license, and installs cleanly. The aging maintenance status (386 days since last release) is a minor concern for new features but not a blocker for stable, read-write operations on standard GLTF v2 files.

## Install

pip install pygltflib
uv add pygltflib
poetry add pygltflib

## Installing pygltflib

Before you install: Low install friction with three lightweight runtime dependencies. Maintenance status is aging—last release was 386 days ago—so expect slower response to issues, though the package remains functional for current use.

License in practice: Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install pygltflib

from pygltflib import GLTF2

gltf = GLTF2().load("model.gltf")
gltf.convert_buffers(BufferFormat.BINARYBLOB)
gltf.save("model.glb")

Requires Python 3.6 or above.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the experimental validator covers all GLTF2 specification rules or only a subset.
- Current state of B3DM file support and whether it has been added since the documentation was written.
- Performance characteristics when handling large models or many assets.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 817.4K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

gltf file reader writer, glb binary 3d model, gltf2 format handling, 3d model serialization, khronos gltf library, mesh buffer conversion, gltf image export, 3d-graphics, file-format, khronos-standard

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/pygltflib) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/pygltflib/)