Support full colour 3D models on Wikimedia projects (Community Wishlist/W326)

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Description

The current issues surrounding Sketchfab show how important a non-commercial platform for sharing and visualising textured 3D models would be. Tens of thousands of 3D models under free licences are under threat, and in a petition to Sketchfab it is said that "this is the virtual equivalent of burning the Library of Alexandria".

Another development makes this format so interesting. Nowadays, creating textured 3D models with a smartphone is not much more effort than shooting a foto or a video.

The glTF (Graphics Library Transmission Format) file format is an open standard for textured three-dimensional scenes and models (ISO/IEC 12113:2022).

During the Wikimedia Hackathon 2024, work has already been carried out to support this format WIP 1026883 .

The community has already developed functional prototypes on which further work could build (Prototype Wiki Site - mediawiki3d.org).

Assigned focus area

Media formats, editing, and display

Type of wish

Feature request

Tags

Multimedia and Commons

Affected users

All users who want to contribute and view textured 3D models.

Phabricator tasks

T187844, T246901

Other details

• Created: 18:11, 7 November 2024
• Last updated: 13:06, 6 February 2026
• Author: OpenDEM (talk)

Voting

This wish currently has 34 supporters. Voting for this wish is open until it is completed.

Supporters of this wish

Support Pppery (talk) 15:50, 10 October 2025

Support Beyond the public value of having a repository for these models, I imagine many project articles would be enhanced by them. I could see a Wikibook showing the steps of building a table with models illustrating each step in detail, or a Wikipedia page for an ancient sculpture that lets you see every detail from every angle. Eiim (talk) 13:51, 5 November 2025

Support The test site demonstrates some possible UI elements. Arlo Barnes (talk) 02:54, 8 November 2025

Support maybe not among the most directly impactful of wishes but still quite important and overdue – the sooner this gets done the better (people already upload(ed) 3D model files); most 3D models aren't that useful without the textures or nearly as useful Prototyperspective (talk) 15:47, 14 November 2025

Support Raymond (talk) 12:08, 5 November 2025

Support Toadspike (talk) 12:51, 24 November 2025

Support This seems like a task that would be almost completely independent of other tasks, and could imaginably be achieved on a contract basis. Jmabel (talk) 00:48, 5 December 2025

Support Abzeronow (talk) 00:59, 5 December 2025

Support strongly GiovanniPen (talk) 18:52, 10 December 2025

Support A very clear case PantheraLeo1359531 (talk) 18:57, 10 December 2025

Support This is a must. Plenty of institutions have now texturized 3D models, and no good place to upload and share those. Low effort and huge gain. Theklan (talk) 19:03, 10 December 2025

Support I would pay to make this happen. Abbe98 (talk) 19:06, 10 December 2025

Support Ivanbranco (talk) 19:14, 10 December 2025

Support Koreller (talk) 20:18, 10 December 2025

Support ReneeWrites (talk) 20:25, 10 December 2025

Support As a researcher working on the use or 3D scanning for the preservation of cultural heritage artwork for more than 25 years, I really think that it is time that wikimedia commons fully support 3D models ALoopingIcon (talk) 11:32, 11 December 2025

Support Protect free cultural works from the proprietary! HyperAnd (talk) 11:41, 11 December 2025

Support Hundreds of thousands of CC/Public Domain models rescued from Sketchfab in categories like Cultural Heritage & History are ready for upload to Wikimedia Commons, if it would support it. Pelotes71 (talk) 12:49, 11 December 2025

Support Rkieferbaum (talk) 14:03, 11 December 2025

Support I believe it is important to expand the software in this direction, as it has many educational and informative applications. Torque (talk) 15:22, 11 December 2025

Support Wikimedia cannot remain/become the essential infrastructure of free knowledge if it remains centered in text, static images and pre-rendered videos. Richer, interactive media is a must to ensure long-term relevance of the movement. Waldyrious (talk) 19:54, 12 December 2025

Support Izasala (talk) 09:42, 18 December 2025

Support Ksarasola (talk) 09:44, 18 December 2025

Support We are working with a museum that has texturized 3D models. It's a must. B25es (talk) 09:50, 18 December 2025

Support Creo que es una pena que no exista una plataforma adecuada para la tecnología 3D que permita ver las imágenes con la textura y los colores que le corresponden. 19Tarrestnom65 (talk) 10:01, 18 December 2025

Support Ponscor (talk) 10:19, 18 December 2025

Support Rodelar (talk) 10:29, 18 December 2025

Support Much needed to help visualize some items Iñaki LL (talk) 10:32, 18 December 2025

Support Dorieo (talk) 13:59, 18 December 2025

Support Bfuster (talk) 16:18, 18 December 2025

Support Gartxoak (talk) 12:10, 21 December 2025

Support Richard Nevell (talk) 14:07, 4 January 2026

Support An update to 3D model support would greatly support the 3D digitisation and dissemination work of the global cultural heritage sector, as identified in the UK Heritage 3D Data at Risk Project and elsewhere. Nebulousflynn (talk) 11:29, 28 January 2026

Support Ita140188 (talk) 12:31, 6 February 2026