Exporting for Real-Time Engines

Select all objects.

• F3 → “Convert to Mesh”

OR

• Object Mode → Object → Convert → Mesh

This applies all modifiers (including bevel) destructively.

If you prefer manual control: Select one → Modifier tab → Apply Repeat for all (less efficient).

Select all objects. Select one last as active (it becomes the base object)

→ Ctrl + J

All objects become one mesh.

Clean-up:

• Check for duplicate vertices
• Edit Mode → A → M → By Distance
• With everything still selected
• SHIFT + N to recalculate normals

Now that it's one object:

• Edit Mode → A → U → Smart UV Project

Adapt projection method if needed for geometry.

Adjust angle limit if needed.

Open UV Editor and confirm:

• No overlapping islands
• Good space usage

If you want optimal packing: UV → Pack Islands

Switch to Cycles (baking only works in Cycles).

In Shader Editor:

• Add Image Texture node
• Click New
• Choose resolution (512 - 2048 or 4096)
• Name it “Object_Baked_BaseColor”

In the Render tab (Cycles selected)

• Open Bake section
• Bake Type: Diffuse
• Disable:
  • Direct
  • Indirect
  • Leave only Color checked
• Press Bake.

Repeat the process for Normal Map:

• Create new Image Texture → “Object_Baked_Normal”
• Select that node
• Bake Type → Normal
• Space → Tangent
• Bake

Repeat the process for Roughness (if needed)

• Bake Type → Roughness

Create a clean Principled BSDF:

• Plug BaseColor texture into Base Color
• Plug Normal texture → Normal Map node → Principled Normal
• Plug Roughness texture into Roughness

Remove all procedural nodes.

You now have a lightweight material that works in any engine.

• Object Mode → Ctrl + A → Apply Rotation/Scale.

In most cases don't apply location if your object is not an independent asset placed at world origin.

GLTF likes clean scale = 1, rotation = 0.

Game engines prefer clean transforms.

For example when a window is applying a difference boolean on a wall for easy placement

Recommended Order:

• Finish modeling
• Apply Boolean on wall (for window cutout)
• Clean topology
• Apply bevel
• Join bricks (if needed)
• UV unwrap
• Bake
• Apply transforms
• Export

• Empties and helper hierarchies are modeling tools only → remove them before export.

• Objects that require runtime control (animation, emission, transparency, etc.) should remain separate meshes.

• Static decorative elements can be merged per spatial section to reduce node count.
  • Think in terms of: Bookshelf_Section_Accessories_01/Workbench_Accessories_01/BackWall_Accessories_01
  • Frustum culling works better by spatial grouping. If a bookshelf is off camera, the whole cluster disappears.
  • If everything is one giant “AllDecor” mesh, nothing gets culled.

• Avoid procedural materials in exported assets → use simple BSDF or baked textures.

Two main bottle structures exist in the scene:

1. Emissive potion bottles
2. Non-emissive bottles/jars

Each type should be prepared differently for export.

Structure per bottle:

• Bottle Glass (transparent material)
• Liquid (emissive material)
• Cork (opaque material)

Recommended mesh structure:

• Merge Cork + Bottle Glass → single mesh
• Keep Liquid as a separate mesh

Final object group:

Bottle_CorkGlass
Bottle_Liquid_Emissive

Reasons:

• Liquid emissive strength will be animated later in Kinetic.
• Glass transparency should remain separate from emissive geometry for proper rendering order.
• Cork does not require runtime control and can be merged with the bottle.

Material rules:

• Glass → simple transparent BSDF
• Liquid → emissive material (shared datablocks per color if possible)
• Cork → simple opaque BSDF

Important:

• Do NOT merge liquids from multiple bottles together.
• Each emissive liquid remains an independent mesh for animation.

Structure per bottle:

• Bottle glass
• Liquid (simple colored BSDF)
• Cork (optional)

Recommended mesh structure:

• Merge all parts together into one object.

Final object:

Bottle_Static

Reasons:

• No animation required
• No emissive control required
• Transparency sorting remains stable because liquid and glass share the same object.

These static bottles can then be merged with other decorative elements in the same spatial section.

Example:

Bookshelf_Accessories_01
Workbench_Accessories_01

Before exporting to GLB:

• Remove empties
• Apply Rotation + Scale (not Location for placed scene objects)
• Ensure materials are simple BSDF (no procedural nodes)
• Verify shared materials use the same datablocks
• Confirm normals are correct
• Merge static decorative objects by scene section
• Keep emissive bottles and other runtime actors separate

Objects in the scene fall into three groups:

Static scenery

• books
• static bottles
• clutter
• merged per section

Dynamic visual actors

• emissive potion liquids
• magical orbs

Hero props

• telescope
• cauldron
• large standalone objects

Each category follows a different export strategy.

Clean GLB structure with:

• low object count for scenery
• independent meshes for runtime effects
• shared materials
• predictable pivot points

This structure is optimal for real-time engines such as Kinetic, Unity, or Unreal. ```