Blender is an awesome application for creating free 3D models and scenes but occasionally instead of creating everything in your compositions from scratch, most 3D artists will use pre-built models to save time and simply because on occasion it is not necessary to re-invent the wheel.
There are many websites out there that offer free and paid 3D models for both Blender and other 3D applications usually in formats such as .obj, .fbx or .dae which can be imported into Blender, two of the better-known ones include TurboSquid and CG Trader both of which are well worth checking out.
However, for this article, we will be highlighting websites that are maybe less well known but focus mainly on supplying .blend format models specifically for Blender. The advantage of using Blenders native file format is that whole scenes can be imported complete with lights, textures and other 3D assets with no compatibility issues.
So without further ado, here are some of our favourite sites for downloading free Blender 3D models, in no particular order.
BlenderNation
Free Blender Models
BlenderNation is so much more than a free download site for Blender. It is more like a hub for all things Blender related, tutorials, contests and breaking Blender news make BlenderNation a great community for like-minded Blender artists of all capabilities.
Unfortunately, the website isn’t particularly user-friendly and finding the models you need can take some guesswork and a little luck, fortunately, there is tons of stuff to explore so you will never get bored searching.
In addition to free Blender 3D models, you will also discover great Blender plugins, Kit Bashing libraries, Textures and so much more.
You will have to register in order to download stuff but the process is fairly painless and please note, not all of the Blender assets available are free.
Blend Swap
create and share with other Blender artists
As the name suggests Blend Swap is a site for Blender artists of all skill levels to share their 3D creations with the wider community. Once registered users are able to upload their own .blend files for sharing and also download Blender files created by other users.
As you can imagine the quality of the models varies greatly but the site is very well organised, so finding the right sort of model for your needs is relatively simple and at the time of writing Blend Swap has a staggering 22,000 plus blend files available and over a million registered users who are consistently sharing more free Blender models.
Downloads are limited to 25 Blend files per month, which is more than enough for most users but for those who require unlimited downloads a small subscription plan is available.
All in all Blend Swap is an amazing resource for both the novice Blender user and the more experienced 3D artist and is well worth signing up for.
BlenderKit
free Blender assets
Imagine you need a 3D model to complete your scene in Blender and that model was available directly within Blender itself along with an extensive library of models that you could just drag and drop straight into the Blender workspace.
Well dream no more, welcome to BlenderKit, an amazing library of Blender 3D assets, available as a Blender addon and available to all users of Blender 2.8 and above.
To activate BlenderKit simply go to Edit/Preferences/Addons and search for Blenderkit, click the checkbox to activate and you’re good to go. BlenderKit will add a new tab to your sidebar menu if you don’t see the menu simply press N on your keyboard.
Currently, 55% of the BlenderKit library is available for free, to unlock the other 45% of the database requires a small monthly subscription of $5, 15% of which is donated to the Blender Foundation Development fund.
Blender Boom
creative assets for Blender
Blender Boom are an interactive creative agency based in Poznań, Poland who also happen to be huge fans of Blender and have been busy creating a huge repository of amazing Blender files for the Blender community.
All of the Blender files available on Blender Boom are of an exceptionally high quality and include models, 3D scans, textures and even full Blender scenes ready for import.
Due to the professional quality of the 3D assets on offer some products do require a small fee for download. However, there is a huge collection of Blender models and scenes available under CC0 terms and conditions, meaning they are free to download for both commercial and non-commercial projects.
Sketchfab
professional quality assets
Recently acquired by Epic Games, Sketchfab is hard to ignore when it comes to sourcing quality 3D models for Blender.
Sketchfab is an easy to use 3D model repository, where users can both upload their own creations or download models made by other 3D artists.
While creatives can set a fee for downloading pro quality models from Sketchfab, many users upload assets under the CC0 Creative Commons License, which means that they are completely free to use for personal use.
However, please be sure to check individual licenses if you intend to use any of the models in a professional environment.
The other great news for Blender users, is the fact that Sketchfab now has an amazing free Blender addon that will allow you to import compatible models directly from within Blender itself.
After creating a free account at Sketchfab, simply install the plugin, sign in and start searching for free models, once you find something that suits your needs, click the import button and the model will be loaded straight into Blender, complete with materials and textures already applied.
Download the Sketchfab Blender Addon here.
Chocofur
where Blender goes pro
The Chocofur website was founded back in 2013 by Lech Sokołowski who fell in love with the open-source free 3D application called Blender, which has made 3D creation available to everyone and anyone who wants to give 3D modelling a try.
The Chocofur website features over 1,500 professional, handcrafted Blender models, mostly aimed at interior and exterior design visualisations, which are available to purchase.
However, Lech has also bundled some of these assets together in collections, including free accessories, free details, free furniture as well as numerous free shader bundles, made exclusively for Blender all of which are of very high quality and available to download at no cost whatsoever.
Free3D
premium and free 3D models
While Free3D isn’t totally focused on supplying free and paid Blender models we thought it was worth a mention purely because it currently hosts almost 2,500 .blend files that are totally free to download.
As well as Blender models, Free3D also has propriety models for Cinema 4D, 3ds Max and Maya as well as universal file formats such as .obj and .fbx which can be imported into the majority of 3D applications.
Free 3D models for Blender can be downloaded free with no obligation to sign up. However, signing up which you can do easily with Facebook or Google will allow you to upload your own models and like or leave comments on the 3D creations of other Blender artists.
3D Model Haven
100% Free 3D Models, for Everyone
If 3D Model Haven has a familiar look and sound to it, that’s probably because it is brought to you by the same team that brought you, Texture Haven and HDRI Haven, two websites that have become must-bookmark resources for all 3D artists.
3D Model Haven is the newest site in the trilogy and offers high-quality 3D models under the CC0 license, meaning that they can be used for any purpose whatsoever, even professionally.
However, at the time of writing the number of models available was quite tiny but we have listed it here because the site has recently earned funding from Epic Games under its MegaGrant scheme so you can expect 3D Model Haven to grow at an exponential rate in the very near future and become yet another must-have resource for 3D enthusiasts everywhere.
How to Import Blender Models into Blender 2.8 - 2.9
using append and link - full beginners tutorial
Congratulations, after going through our list of free 3D models for Blender, you should by now have a gorgeous little collection of .blend files that you have downloaded onto your hard drive.
However, especially if you are new to Blender, actually getting these models into your Blender scene can be a little tricky and maybe not as straight forward as you thought.
Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of this excellent Blender tutorial by Justin Geis from The CG Essentials YouTube channel.
In this short how-to video, Justin fully explains the difference between importing or appending a Blender file into your scene as opposed to linking to an external Blender model.
Guaranteed to save you hours of frustration, become a Blender master model importer in ten minutes or less.
Blender Free Model Manager
manage all your Blender assets in one place
High-quality 3D models are the key to every successful Blender project, not only do they make life so much easier but they free up your all-important time so you can concentrate on expressing your creativity to the full.
However, organising all of your different Blender assets can prove to be a rather tedious and time-consuming affair.
Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of the excellent Blender Model and Asset Manager from Chocofur.
This completely free and simple to use Blender add-on, allows you to quickly and easily import external Blender files into your existing scene and with over 300 free Blender objects and materials included, it is definitely worth downloading. Get organised and create your very own Blender Asset Library today.
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