Reimport

Reimport allows you to update existing custom models and their textures from an external 3D file. Unlike regular import, which creates brand new instances, the reimport function updates existing objects non-destructively to help support the iterative nature of 3D development.

Along with asset updates, reimport remembers the file and settings used to import the original asset. This means you can easily update an imported asset with a single click or hotkey without going through all the initial import settings. This memory persists across Studio sessions.

Supported instances

Reimport supports the following entry points in the Explorer. Reimport also supports packages, allowing you to reimport batches of asset instances at once.

• Model - The reimport feature scans the container, updating any changed MeshPart and SurfaceAppearance instances and adding newly created ones, while leaving your existing properties unchanged.

  • MeshPart - Reimport replaces meshes based off of mesh names saved in Studio and the external 3D file. For specific behavior, see MeshPart detection.
  • SurfaceAppearance - Reimport replaces images for PBR textures based off of filenames. For specific behavior, see SurfaceAppearance detection.
• SurfaceAppearance or Decal (selected directly) - Reimport uploads all texture maps found in the same folder as the selected file in one operation.

MeshPart detection

Reimport updates meshes based off of the path and name of the 3D source file, and the path and name of the mesh object in Studio. Reimport only updates the mesh content and transform properties and preserves other Roblox-specific properties, including CollisionFidelity and RenderFidelity. If the incoming mesh has no texture assigned, reimport keeps the existing MeshPart texture rather than clearing it.

Reimport relies on matching mesh names between the Studio and the 3D source file:

• If a mesh's path/name in the 3D source file matches a MeshPart path/name in Studio, reimport updates the matching MeshPart.
• If a mesh's path/name in the 3D source file doesn't exist as MeshPart path/name in Studio, reimport creates a new MeshPart within the Model.
• If a MeshPart path/name in Studio doesn't exist in the 3D source file, reimport does not modify the MeshPart in Studio.

Known Asset Cache

Studio uses a Known Asset Cache, which helps detect duplicate imports in the same Studio session. If an imported or reimported asset is detected, Roblox reuses the existing asset ID instead of creating and uploading a new asset.

If you attempt to reimport a single mesh object, but the 3D file contains a larger number of meshes or textures, Roblox only applies a single asset upload for that object.

Duplicates

Reimport detects duplicate meshes, and doesn't reupload matching meshes that are the same in both Studio and the 3D source file.

In the scenario where a mesh in Blender is renamed from "Mesh1" to "Mesh2", reimport creates a new MeshPart named "Mesh2" and doesn't apply changes to the original "Mesh1".

Pivot points

In cases where you may want to use the pivot point of the MeshPart and not the Model, right-click any MeshPart with reimport information and select Reimport > Reimport relative to this.

Reimport relative to this triggers a reimport for the entire model using the pivot point of right-clicked MeshPart as an anchor instead of the Model pivot point. You can use this for models that have custom pivots by reimporting relative to a mesh that has not changed position in the 3D file.

SurfaceAppearance detection

Reimport can quickly batch update the textures of a model with PBR textures based off of the naming convention of the image files.

Reimport detects a set of known suffixes for color, metalness, normal, and roughness maps. You can find the full list of supported suffixes in the following table:

When reimporting an asset with a SurfaceAppearance selected, a file dialog displays allowing you to select a new image file to use as a PBR texture. Reimport automatically detects other PBR images in the directory based off of naming and maps them to the SurfaceAppearance object.

Texture files without a recognized material map suffix are accepted as the color map for SurfaceAppearance reimport.

Reimport models

When you bring an asset into Studio through the importer, reimport automatically stores the filepath, import preset, and upload inventory, so subsequent reimports require no manual setup.

To reimport a configured Model:

1. Right-click the Model and select Reimport > Reimport.

   1. Alternatively, when selecting the object, use the reimport hotkey AltShiftR.
   2. A loading indicator appears after selecting reimport. If there are any issues, an error dialog displays with a Configure Reimport Settings button that opens the Configure dialog.

If a Model has no saved reimport configuration (for example, a model imported on a different device or before reimport was available), triggering Reimport opens the Configure dialog instead of starting the reimport. You can also open it directly at any time through Reimport > Configure. In this Configure dialog, you can set the file path, upload target, and import presets.