by Alex Pearce·Workflow
Images © Alex Pearce. Used for product review; image policy.
Earns its place in the superhive library by gathering model optimization and multi-engine export chores into a single Blender add-on.
AP GameTools is a utility add-on that helps Blender users optimize and export static models to Unity, Unreal, Godot, Sketchfab, and beyond. It can serve as a pipeline for Unity, Unreal, and Godot. In the Unity pipeline you update models, shaders, and textures in Blender, press Export for Game Engine, and the model updates automatically in your Unity project. The Unreal and Godot pipelines work differently but still import your materials and textures and set up the shaders automatically.
Its operations are grouped into organizing utilities (Clear Parent, Delete Empties), material utilities (Separate by Material, Join by Material, Rename by Material, Origin to Geometry), decimation utilities (Remove Doubles, Planar Decimate, Decimate by 5%, Remove Decimate Modifiers), UV map utilities (Remove unused UVs, Create Lightmap UVs, Pack UVs), and export utilities. An April 2021 update added texture and HDR resize tools, a Pack UVs button, two new FBX export options, and bug fixes. Documentation, video tutorials, and a Discord are available.
Ap Gametools is best for blender users preparing and exporting static models to game engines such as Unity, Unreal, and Godot, or to Sketchfab.
Ap Gametools is completely free to download and use.
AP GameTools lists compatibility with Blender 2.8, 2.81, 2.82, 2.83, and 2.9, so it targets the 2.8 and 2.9 series. If you run one of those versions, the add-on's utilities should be available to install. For newer Blender releases outside that range, no compatibility is stated, so check the developer's page or the documentation before installing. The developer also maintains documentation, video tutorials, and a Discord where version and setup questions can be raised.
AP GameTools exports static models from Blender to Unity, Unreal, Godot, Sketchfab, and beyond, and can act as a pipeline for Unity, Unreal, and Godot. In the Unity pipeline you update models, shaders, and textures in Blender, press Export for Game Engine, and the model updates automatically in the Unity project. The Unreal and Godot pipelines work differently but still import your materials and textures and set up shaders automatically. Export options include Export for Game Engine, Center and Export for Game Engine, and FBX exports.
AP GameTools added texture resize tools in an April 2021 update. These let you duplicate a texture and resize it to 4k, 2k, 1k, 512, or 256, and convert it to JPEG for quick optimization, with similar tools provided for HDRs. The same update introduced a Pack UVs button that adds UV maps and packs the UVs from selected objects into a new UV map, a Planar Decimate button, a Separate by material button, and two new FBX export options.
AP GameTools is released under the GPL license, the same license Blender itself uses. It governs how the add-on's code can be used, modified, and shared. For the specifics of what the GPL permits in your situation, refer to the license text and the developer's page. The add-on also comes with documentation, video tutorials, and a Discord community if you have questions about installation or usage that go beyond licensing terms.
AP GameTools is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing and availability can change, so check the developer's page for the current terms before you download. The add-on is distributed under the GPL and ships with documentation, video tutorials, and a Discord to help you get started. If you want more from the same developer, Alex Pearce offers other add-ons, including free ones, on their Gumroad page.
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