Supported Formats

PlayCanvas supports a wide variety of file formats for different asset types. This page lists the formats that can be used in your projects.

3D Models

The Editor and the engine accept different model formats. The Editor imports model files into assets, while the engine loads glTF files directly at runtime.

Format	Extension	Editor	Engine	Notes
glTF Binary	.glb	Imported as a model	Loaded at runtime	Recommended format. Efficient, widely supported
glTF	.gltf	Uploaded as a binary asset, not imported	Loaded at runtime	JSON-based with external files. Convert to GLB to import it in the Editor
FBX	.fbx	Converted to GLB on import	Not supported
COLLADA	.dae	Converted to GLB on import	Not supported
OBJ	.obj	Converted to GLB on import	Not supported	Basic mesh format, no animations

tip

GLB is the recommended format for 3D models. It's compact, loads quickly, and supports all PlayCanvas features including animations, materials, and morph targets.

Textures

Format	Extension	Notes
PNG	.png	Lossless, supports transparency
JPEG	.jpg, .jpeg	Lossy compression, no transparency
WebP	.webp	Modern format, good compression
AVIF	.avif	Next-gen format, excellent compression
GIF	.gif	Converted to PNG/JPG on import
TGA	.tga	Converted to PNG/JPG on import
BMP	.bmp	Converted to PNG/JPG on import
TIFF	.tif, .tiff	Converted to PNG/JPG on import
HDR	.hdr	High dynamic range, for environment maps
EXR	.exr	High dynamic range, converted to RGBM PNG

Texture Compression

For optimized delivery, textures can be compressed to GPU-native formats:

Format	Platform	Notes
Basis	All	Universal compressed format
DXT/BC	Desktop	Windows/Mac/Linux
PVRTC	iOS	Apple devices
ETC	Android	Most Android devices
ASTC	Modern mobile	iOS 8+, Android with ASTC support

Audio

Format	Extension	Notes
MP3	.mp3	Widely supported, good compression
OGG Vorbis	.ogg	Open format, good quality
WAV	.wav	Uncompressed, large files
M4A	.m4a	AAC audio

note

For best browser compatibility, provide both MP3 and OGG versions of audio files. PlayCanvas will use the format supported by the user's browser.

Fonts

Format	Extension	Notes
TrueType	.ttf, .ttc	Converted to an MSDF atlas on import
OpenType	.otf	Converted to an MSDF atlas on import
Datafork TrueType	.dfont	Converted to an MSDF atlas on import

See Fonts for how the atlas is generated and how to load one outside the Editor.

Scripts

Format	Extension	Notes
JavaScript	.js	Classic scripts
ES Module	.mjs	ESM scripts (recommended)

Data Files

Format	Extension	Notes
JSON	.json	Structured data
Text	.txt	Plain text
CSV	.csv	Tabular data (as text)
XML	.xml	Markup data (as text)
HTML	.html	HTML documents
CSS	.css	Stylesheets

Shaders

Format	Extension	Notes
GLSL	.glsl	OpenGL shading language
Vertex Shader	.vert	Vertex shader source
Fragment Shader	.frag	Fragment shader source

Other

Format	Extension	Notes
WebAssembly	.wasm	Compiled binary modules
Binary	.bin	Raw binary data
PLY	.ply	3D Gaussian Splat data
glTF Binary	.glb	3D Gaussian Splat data using the KHR_gaussian_splatting extension
SPZ	.spz	Compressed 3D Gaussian Splat data (Niantic SPZ format), loaded via a parser script

Custom Formats

The lists above cover the engine's built-in loaders, but they are not fixed: at runtime, custom parsers can add support for new file formats — or override the built-in ones — for most asset types. See Custom Asset Parsers.

See Also

• Models - Preparing 3D models for PlayCanvas
• Asset Inspectors - Configure asset properties in the Editor
• Custom Asset Parsers - Load custom file formats at runtime