Runtime Scene Loading

Use preload() for paths known at compile time and load() for data-driven paths. GDScript + C# snippets: [references/runtime-resource-loading.md](references/runtime-resource-loading.md).

Runtime glTF Import Flags (Godot 4.7+)

GLTFDocument exposes an ImportFlags bitfield — IMPORTFLAGGENERATETANGENTARRAYS (8), IMPORTFLAGUSENAMEDSKINBINDS (16), IMPORTFLAGDISCARDMESHESANDMATERIALS (32), IMPORTFLAGFORCEDISABLEMESHCOMPRESSION (64) — accepted by the flags: int = 0 parameter of appendfromfile(), appendfrombuffer(), and appendfrom_scene():

var doc := GLTFDocument.new()
var state := GLTFState.new()
doc.append_from_file("user://mods/enemy.glb", state,
        GLTFDocument.IMPORT_FLAG_GENERATE_TANGENT_ARRAYS | GLTFDocument.IMPORT_FLAG_USE_NAMED_SKIN_BINDS)
add_child(doc.generate_scene(state))

var doc = new GltfDocument();
var state = new GltfState();
doc.AppendFromFile("user://mods/enemy.glb", state,
    (uint)(GltfDocument.ImportFlags.GenerateTangentArrays | GltfDocument.ImportFlags.UseNamedSkinBinds));
AddChild(doc.GenerateScene(state));

4. Animation Import

Splitting Animations

If a 3D file contains a single timeline with multiple animations, split them in the Advanced Import Settings:

1. Double-click the .glb file to open Advanced Import Settings
2. Go to Animations tab
3. Add animation clips with start frame and end frame
4. Set loop mode per clip (None, Linear, Ping-Pong)

Retargeting Animations

Share animations between characters with different skeletons:

1. Import both the source (animation) and target (character) models
2. Open Advanced Import Settings on the target model
3. Go to Skeleton3D > Retarget settings
4. Map source bones to target bones
5. Use SkeletonProfile resources for standard humanoid mappings

Animation Import Settings

5. Audio Import

For in-depth audio playback, bus setup, and music management, see the audio-system skill.

Format Recommendations

Key Import Settings

Import tip: Use WAV for short SFX (zero decode latency). Use OGG for music (small file, good quality). Enable Force Mono for any audio used with AudioStreamPlayer3D — stereo doesn't spatialize properly.

6. Resource Formats

.tres vs .res

# Save as text resource
ResourceSaver.save(my_resource, "res://data/item.tres")

# Save as binary resource
ResourceSaver.save(my_resource, "res://data/item.res")

# Load (either format)
var resource: Resource = load("res://data/item.tres")

ResourceSaver.Save(myResource, "res://data/item.tres");
ResourceSaver.Save(myResource, "res://data/item.res");
var resource = GD.Load<Resource>("res://data/item.tres");

When to Use Each

• .tres — Custom resources you create and edit (item data, config, skill definitions). Version control friendly.
• .res — Generated or large binary data (baked lightmaps, navigation meshes, large meshes). Faster to load.
• .tscn — Text scene files (always use text for scenes — diffable in VCS)
• .scn — Binary scene files (rare — only for very large scenes where load time matters)

Threaded Resource Loading

Load large resources without freezing the game with the ResourceLoader.loadthreadedrequest() / loadthreadedgetstatus() / loadthreaded_get() pattern. Full loading-screen recipe (GDScript + C#): [references/runtime-resource-loading.md](references/runtime-resource-loading.md).

7. Common Pitfalls

⚠️ Changed in Godot 4.7: The font import hinting default changed from 1 (Light) to 3 (Light (Except Pixel Fonts)) — pixel-style fonts now auto-disable hinting on import, so their rendering can change after upgrading. Set hinting back to 1 (Light) in the Import dock per font to keep the 4.6 look. See the 4.7 migration guide.

8. Implementation Checklist

• .gitignore excludes .godot/ but NOT .import files
• Pixel art projects set Default Texture Filter to Nearest in Project Settings
• 3D textures have mipmaps enabled (Import dock → Mipmaps → Generate)
• Large textures use VRAM Compressed (especially on mobile targets)
• 3D models use glTF format (.glb or .gltf) as the primary import format
• Collision shapes use naming suffixes (-col, -convcol) in the 3D authoring tool
• Animations are split into individual clips in Advanced Import Settings
• Audio SFX uses WAV; music uses OGG Vorbis
• 3D positional audio files are imported as mono (Force Mono enabled)
• Custom data resources use .tres (text) for version control diffability
• Large or runtime-loaded resources use ResourceLoader.loadthreadedrequest()
• Scene files use .tscn (text format) for version control