GLB to FBX with animation in Blender (and FBX to GLB)
By the Cosindra team · Updated November 1, 2026
To convert a GLB to FBX with its animation, import the GLB in Blender (File, Import, glTF 2.0), check that each clip came in as an action, then export with File, Export, FBX, with Armature and Mesh ticked under Object Types and Bake Animation on with All Actions, so every clip is written as its own take. Blender's glTF importer plays the first animation and stashes each of the others as an action on an NLA track, so nothing is lost on the way in. FBX to GLB is the same trip backwards: File, Import, FBX, then File, Export, glTF 2.0 with the glTF Binary (.glb) format.
Blender is free and open source software, and every Blender step and quote here comes from the Blender 5.2 LTS manual, read on November 1, 2026. Cosindra converts files in only two places, listed near the end; neither carries over animation that was already in your file. We build Cosindra, so weigh what we say about it with that in mind.
GLB to FBX with animation, step by step
- Open Blender and clear the default scene (select everything in the viewport and delete it), so only your model ends up in the FBX.
- Choose File, Import, glTF 2.0 (.glb, .gltf) and pick your file. The importer is on by default. Leave Bone Direction on its default, which the manual calls "best for re-exporting from Blender".
- Check the clips. The manual says "Imported models are set up so that the first animation in the file is playing automatically" and that each other animation "becomes an action stashed to an NLA track", named after the glTF animation. Open the Nonlinear Animation editor and click Solo (the star) on a track to play it.
- Choose File, Export, FBX (.fbx). Under Include, Object Types, keep Armature and Mesh selected.
- Under Armatures, turn off Add Leaf Bones unless your engine wants an extra bone at the end of every chain.
- Under Bake Animation, keep it on and tick All Actions, which exports "all actions compatible with the selected armatures"; the manual adds that "When disabled only the currently assigned action is exported."
- Export, then check the result: File, Import, FBX in a new Blender scene. Blender 5.2's importer brings in "Each FBX “take”" as "a separate Action", so you can count the clips before you open your engine.
FBX to GLB, step by step
- Clear the default scene, then choose File, Import, FBX. With Layered Animation Support on, each take in the file becomes its own action.
- Make sure every action you want is on the object: the glTF exporter writes an action "if it is the active action on an object, or it is stashed to an NLA track". The manual's advice: "If you have multiple actions you want to export, make sure they are stashed!"
- Choose File, Export, glTF 2.0 and set Format to glTF Binary (.glb), which "produces a single .glb file with all mesh data, image textures, and related information packed into a single binary file."
- Keep the Animation mode on Actions (the default). Each stashed action becomes one glTF animation, named after the action; rename its NLA track to rename the animation.
- Export, then open the .glb in any glTF viewer, or import it back into Blender, and play each animation once.
GLB vs FBX
Both carry meshes, skeletons and several animations in one file. Pick by where the file goes next.
- Send an animated character to Maya, 3ds Max, Unity or Unreal Engine as FBX if that is what your pipeline already uses; send it to the web or Godot as GLB, where one file with its textures packed inside is easier to move around.
| GLB (glTF 2.0, binary) | FBX | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | "transmission and loading of 3D models in web and native applications" (Blender manual) | Exchanging 3D data between programs, "especially for animated characters" (Blender manual) |
| Textures | Packed inside the one .glb file | Separate files, unless you embed them at export |
| Animations | Several named animations per file | Several takes per file |
| Where it is used (Blender manual) | "commonly used on the web", with support in engines "such as Unity3D, Unreal Engine 4, and Godot" | "Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, and game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine" |
When the converted file looks wrong
- Only one animation in the FBX: All Actions (or NLA Strips) was off under Bake Animation, so only the current action was written.
- Animations missing from the GLB: they were not stashed on NLA tracks before export, so the exporter skipped them.
- An extra bone at the end of every chain in the engine: Add Leaf Bones was on.
- The model is lying down or facing the wrong way: set Forward and Up in the FBX exporter; the manual notes "Blender uses Y Forward, Z Up".
- The rest pose looks bent after the GLB import: try Guess Original Bind Pose, which the manual says "attempts to guess the pose that was used to compute the inverse bind matrices".
- Missing textures in the FBX: set Path Mode to Copy and turn on Embed Textures, both in the FBX exporter, then check the materials in your engine.
Where Cosindra converts files
Cosindra does not convert an existing animated GLB to FBX; for that, use the Blender steps above. Two of its tools take a model in one format and give you another:
- RigMaster takes a humanoid GLB or glTF mesh, rigs it from 18 joint markers you place and gives you an FBX on the UE5 Manny skeleton, for 15 credits a rig. It can also convert the finished rig, at no credit cost, to a Mixamo-named FBX or a Godot glTF. The FBX carries the new rig, not animation that was in your file.
- MotionSmith takes your character as a GLB, glTF, VRM or FBX and exports a motion you describe as an FBX on that character's own skeleton, for 5 credits a prompt. That is a new motion, not the animation already in your file.
- RigMaster: a GLB humanoid in, an FBX on the UE5 Manny skeleton out
- Mixamo to Unreal Engine 5: importing an FBX character into UE5 at the right scale
- Free UE5 skeleton checker: drop the GLB or FBX to list its bones against Manny's, in your browser with no upload
Sources
The Blender steps and quotes come from these pages of the Blender 5.2 LTS manual, read on November 1, 2026. Cosindra facts come from our own product.
- Blender manual: glTF 2.0: import, animations as actions on NLA tracks, export modes, the .glb format, Bone Direction and Guess Original Bind Pose
- Blender manual: FBX import: Layered Animation Support, Ignore Leaf Bones
- Blender manual: FBX export: Object Types, Add Leaf Bones, Bake Animation, All Actions, Forward and Up, Path Mode
- About Blender: free and open source software under the GPL
Skip the rigging chapter entirely
RigMaster rigs your humanoid mesh to the UE5 Manny-compatible skeleton in the browser: upload a GLB, place a few markers, download a UE-ready FBX that plays Manny/Quinn animations without retargeting.
Rig my characterFrequently asked questions
How do I convert GLB to FBX with animation?
In Blender: File, Import, glTF 2.0, check that each clip came in as an action (the first one plays, the others are stashed on NLA tracks), then File, Export, FBX with Armature and Mesh selected and Bake Animation on with All Actions ticked. Re-import the FBX once to count the takes.
How do I convert FBX to GLB?
In Blender: File, Import, FBX, make sure every action you want is active or stashed on an NLA track, then File, Export, glTF 2.0 with Format set to glTF Binary (.glb) and the Animation mode on Actions. Each stashed action becomes one animation in the GLB.
GLB vs FBX: which should I use for a game?
Both carry a skeleton and several animations. Blender's manual describes FBX as widely used "especially for animated characters" and lists Unity and Unreal Engine among the programs that read it, and describes glTF as "commonly used on the web" with support in engines such as Godot. Use the one your engine or pipeline already imports; GLB has the advantage of one file with its textures packed inside.
Why does my FBX have only one animation after converting?
The FBX exporter writes only the currently assigned action unless All Actions (or NLA Strips) is ticked under Bake Animation. Tick it and export again.
Can I convert GLB to FBX without Blender?
Blender is the free route this page documents. Cosindra does not convert an existing animated GLB to FBX: RigMaster turns a humanoid GLB mesh into a rigged FBX on the UE5 Manny skeleton, and MotionSmith exports new motions for your character as FBX, but neither keeps the animation already in your file.