Assets Pipeline

Assets Pipeline in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.

Related skills: audio-system for audio playback and bus architecture, 3d-essentials for 3D materials and lighting, 2d-essentials for 2D rendering and sprites, animation-system for imported animations, godot-optimization for asset-related performance, multithreading for threaded resource loading.

1. How Importing Works

The Import System

When you add a file to res://, Godot auto-imports it based on its type. Import settings are stored in .import sidecar files alongside the original.

project/
├── textures/
│   ├── player.png           ← original file (committed to VCS)
│   └── player.png.import    ← import settings (committed to VCS)
└── .godot/
    └── imported/            ← compiled cache (NOT committed — .gitignore it)

Key Rules

• Never modify files in .godot/imported/ — they are regenerated from originals
• Commit .import files to version control — they store your settings
• Reimport after changing settings: select file → Import dock → click Reimport
• .godot/ should be in your .gitignore

Changing Import Settings

1. Select the file in the FileSystem dock
2. Open the Import dock (next to Scene dock by default)
3. Change settings
4. Click Reimport (or Reimport All for batch changes)

Import settings can also be set via Advanced Import Settings for 3D scenes (double-click the .glb/.gltf file).

2. Image Import

Compression Modes

When to Use Each

Pixel art / UI icons       → Lossless (no artifacts, crisp pixels)
2D game sprites            → Lossless (small sprites) or VRAM Compressed (large sprites)
3D textures (albedo, normal) → VRAM Compressed (saves GPU memory)
Large backgrounds          → Lossy or VRAM Compressed
Mobile targets             → VRAM Compressed (essential for memory)

Key Import Settings

Pixel Art Setup

For crisp pixel art, set these project-wide:

Project Settings > Rendering > Textures > Canvas Textures > Default Texture Filter → Nearest

Or per-image in Import dock: Filter → Nearest

Enabling Mipmaps

Mipmaps prevent shimmering on textures viewed at an angle or from a distance. Required for 3D textures; optional for 2D.

• 3D textures: Always enable mipmaps (Import dock → Mipmaps → Generate → On)
• 2D sprites: Usually off (unless you use Camera2D zoom)
• UI textures: Off (rendered at fixed scale)

Godot 4.7+: DDS import supports the R8 and R8G8 texture formats. (GH-116307)

3. 3D Scene Import

Supported Formats

glTF is the recommended format. It has the best Godot support, is an open standard, and preserves materials, animations, and rigs accurately.

Node Naming Conventions

Godot auto-creates appropriate node types based on suffixes in your 3D model's object names:

In Blender:                  In Godot (after import):
Wall-col                  →  StaticBody3D
├── Wall (mesh)           →    ├── MeshInstance3D
                          →    └── CollisionShape3D (auto-generated)

Import Dock Settings

Select the imported .glb/.gltf in FileSystem, then in the Import dock:

Godot 4.7+: The Import dock's import-type option can also import a 3D scene file as a single Mesh resource or as a MeshLibrary (for GridMap), instead of a full scene — no separate export step in the 3D authoring tool needed. (GH-107856)

⚠️ Changed in Godot 4.7: EditorSceneFormatImporter's IMPORT_SCENE, IMPORT_ANIMATION, IMPORT_FAIL_ON_MISSING_DEPENDENCIES, IMPORT_GENERATE_TANGENT_ARRAYS, IMPORT_USE_NAMED_SKIN_BINDS, IMPORT_DISCARD_MESHES_AND_MATERIALS, and IMPORT_FORCE_DISABLE_MESH_COMPRESSION constants moved into a new ImportFlags enum (bitfield). GDScript-compatible; C# importer plugins referencing the old class-level constants must switch to the enum members. See the 4.7 migration guide.

Runtime Scene Loading

Use preload() for paths known at compile time and load() for data-driven paths. GDScript + C# snippets: references/runtime-resource-loading.md.

Runtime glTF Import Flags (Godot 4.7+)

GLTFDocument exposes an ImportFlags bitfield — IMPORT_FLAG_GENERATE_TANGENT_ARRAYS (8), IMPORT_FLAG_USE_NAMED_SKIN_BINDS (16), IMPORT_FLAG_DISCARD_MESHES_AND_MATERIALS (32), IMPORT_FLAG_FORCE_DISABLE_MESH_COMPRESSION (64) — accepted by the flags: int = 0 parameter of append_from_file(), append_from_buffer(), and append_from_scene():

var doc := GLTFDocument.new()
var state := GLTFState.new()
doc.append_from_file("user://mods/enemy.glb", state,
        GLTFDocument.IMPORT_FLAG_GENERATE_TANGENT_ARRAYS | GLTFDocument.IMPORT_FLAG_USE_NAMED_SKIN_BINDS)
add_child(doc.generate_scene(state))

var doc = new GltfDocument();
var state = new GltfState();
doc.AppendFromFile("user://mods/enemy.glb", state,
    (uint)(GltfDocument.ImportFlags.GenerateTangentArrays | GltfDocument.ImportFlags.UseNamedSkinBinds));
AddChild(doc.GenerateScene(state));

4. Animation Import

Splitting Animations

If a 3D file contains a single timeline with multiple animations, split them in the Advanced Import Settings:

1. Double-click the .glb file to open Advanced Import Settings
2. Go to Animations tab
3. Add animation clips with start frame and end frame
4. Set loop mode per clip (None, Linear, Ping-Pong)

Retargeting Animations

Share animations between characters with different skeletons:

1. Import both the source (animation) and target (character) models
2. Open Advanced Import Settings on the target model
3. Go to Skeleton3D > Retarget settings
4. Map source bones to target bones
5. Use SkeletonProfile resources for standard humanoid mappings

Animation Import Settings

5. Audio Import

For in-depth audio playback, bus setup, and music management, see the audio-system skill.

Format Recommendations

Key Import Settings

Import tip: Use WAV for short SFX (zero decode latency). Use OGG for music (small file, good quality). Enable Force Mono for any audio used with AudioStreamPlayer3D — stereo doesn't spatialize properly.

6. Resource Formats

.tres vs .res

# Save as text resource
ResourceSaver.save(my_resource, "res://data/item.tres")

# Save as binary resource
ResourceSaver.save(my_resource, "res://data/item.res")

# Load (either format)
var resource: Resource = load("res://data/item.tres")

ResourceSaver.Save(myResource, "res://data/item.tres");
ResourceSaver.Save(myResource, "res://data/item.res");
var resource = GD.Load<Resource>("res://data/item.tres");

When to Use Each

• .tres — Custom resources you create and edit (item data, config, skill definitions). Version control friendly.
• .res — Generated or large binary data (baked lightmaps, navigation meshes, large meshes). Faster to load.
• .tscn — Text scene files (always use text for scenes — diffable in VCS)
• .scn — Binary scene files (rare — only for very large scenes where load time matters)

Threaded Resource Loading

Load large resources without freezing the game with the ResourceLoader.load_threaded_request() / load_threaded_get_status() / load_threaded_get() pattern. Full loading-screen recipe (GDScript + C#): references/runtime-resource-loading.md.

7. Common Pitfalls

⚠️ Changed in Godot 4.7: The font import hinting default changed from 1 (Light) to 3 (Light (Except Pixel Fonts)) — pixel-style fonts now auto-disable hinting on import, so their rendering can change after upgrading. Set hinting back to 1 (Light) in the Import dock per font to keep the 4.6 look. See the 4.7 migration guide.

8. Implementation Checklist

• .gitignore excludes .godot/ but NOT .import files
• Pixel art projects set Default Texture Filter to Nearest in Project Settings
• 3D textures have mipmaps enabled (Import dock → Mipmaps → Generate)
• Large textures use VRAM Compressed (especially on mobile targets)
• 3D models use glTF format (.glb or .gltf) as the primary import format
• Collision shapes use naming suffixes (-col, -convcol) in the 3D authoring tool
• Animations are split into individual clips in Advanced Import Settings
• Audio SFX uses WAV; music uses OGG Vorbis
• 3D positional audio files are imported as mono (Force Mono enabled)
• Custom data resources use .tres (text) for version control diffability
• Large or runtime-loaded resources use ResourceLoader.load_threaded_request()
• Scene files use .tscn (text format) for version control