Your own models, on the same grid as the library
The built-in library covers a session-one dungeon, but sooner or later you want the boss you generated, the map you scanned, or the miniature you sculpted. TerrainTale takes real model files straight onto the table, at the same 5-foot scale as everything else.
Drop it on the window
A wide range of formats works as-is: .glb, .gltf, .obj, .fbx, .stl, .ply, .dae, .3mf, .usdz and more. Meshy generations, Hero Forge and Sketchfab exports, and Blender exports all import directly, including files compressed with Draco or meshopt. The steps: export from your tool as .glb where you can, since it carries its textures in one file. Drag the file onto the TerrainTale window and it appears on the table. Move it with the gizmo, turn it, and scale it if the source used other units, so a human stands about as tall as one 5-foot square is wide. If a file arrives untextured or will not load, open it in Blender and export it again as .glb.
Heavy files are simplified automatically
Everything is converted to a GLB and simplified to the detail budget in Settings (triangle count and texture size), so a raw photoscan or a dense sculpt does not stall the table. Any imported model can be reduced further from its own menu after the fact. A worked example: a photoscanned statue with millions of triangles and 8K textures would be heavy for a tablet in a shared room. With a lower triangle budget and 2K textures it arrives much smaller and still reads well from a tabletop camera. If it still feels heavy, reduce it again from its menu. Lower the budget in Settings before importing a batch of scans, so each one arrives light.
No model? Use a picture
Any image can become a standee token with a base for a creature you have not modelled yet, no import step required. A standee is the quickest way to field a named NPC: use the portrait you already have, set its size, and it takes its squares on the grid like any mini, with HP, conditions and a place in initiative. On the hosted site, uploading your own token pictures is part of Premium, like model imports; on a self-hosted copy it is open on every plan.
Where this sits on the plans
On the hosted site, importing your own model files (and your own token portrait pictures) is a Premium feature, $6 a month or $48 a year, while the built-in library, the builder, play mode and shared rooms are the same on both plans. On a self-hosted copy, importing your own models is available on every plan; nothing is gated unless you turn billing on. One limit matters before a live session. Models you imported from your own files are not in the built-in library, so players' browsers cannot fetch them in a shared room. They are not drawn on players' screens, a toast tells each player how many are missing, and the rest of the table works normally. Use library pieces for anything the players must see.
Questions
What file formats can I import?
.glb, .gltf, .obj, .fbx, .stl, .ply, .dae, .3mf, .usdz and more, including Draco- and meshopt-compressed files. When a format gives trouble, exporting it from Blender as .glb almost always works.
Will a heavy photoscan crash the scene?
No. Everything imported is converted to a GLB and simplified to a detail budget automatically, and you can reduce it further afterwards. Lower the detail budget in Settings first if you plan to import several dense scans.
Is importing models free?
On the hosted site it is a Premium feature ($6/mo or $48/yr); a self-hosted copy has no such gate on any plan unless billing is explicitly turned on. The built-in library of several hundred pieces is free on every plan.
Can I use a model without a rig or animation?
Yes. A static mesh works fine as a prop, a terrain piece or a mini; the built-in library minis are static too. A .glb that carries its own clip plays it. That suits a flickering brazier or an idle monster. Posing a rigged model is not something the app does.
Keep reading
A Realistic 3D Asset Library for D&D Maps
A free library of realistic 3D battle-map pieces: PBR-generated floors and walls, Poly Haven photoscanned props, and D&D minis and furniture made in Meshy.
3D Dungeon Map Maker: Rooms, Corridors and Torchlight in Minutes
Make a 3D dungeon map in the browser: drag rooms with the Dungeon kit, paint corridors with the tile brush, add doorways, torches, a treasure chest and a skeleton, then play on it.
Save, Export and Import D&D Scenes as JSON
Scenes autosave to your account and are also plain JSON: export a scene to a file, import one back, or hand a recipe to an AI assistant.
Pricing
Free and Premium side by side, and what changes between them.
From the blog
What Hero Forge actually exports
Hero Forge's three exports explained plainly — the free screenshot, the paid 3D Digital download, and the paid STL — and which ones a general 3D virtual tabletop can actually import.
· 6 min read
Bring your own miniatures: importing .glb, .obj, .fbx and .stl
Which 3D model formats a virtual tabletop can take directly, what happens to a heavy file on import, and where model import sits on the free and Premium plans.
· 5 min read
Using Meshy AI-generated models on your virtual tabletop
What to do with a model generated by Meshy once you have it: how it imports, what happens to a dense AI-generated mesh automatically, and where it sits next to the library.
· 4 min read
All articles on battle maps, grid rules and running the game
Ready to put a map on the table?
Open the builder and start, no account needed. Sixteen starter scenes are on the welcome screen; sign up free when you want to save one or play it with your group.