by Andrej Tetkic·Workflow
Images © Andrej Tetkic. Used for product review; image policy.
Drag & Drop Import earns its spot in the superhive library as a Blender importer built around dragging files in rather than working through menus and dialogs. Worth noting that the project is no longer maintained, since Blender later added drag-and-drop importing natively.
Drag & Drop Import lets you bring files into Blender by dragging them from your file explorer and dropping them into the 3D Viewport or Outliner. A left-click drag imports with the default settings for that file type, while a right-click drag or holding Ctrl during a left-click drag opens the import options. It covers more than 30 formats, including FBX, GLB, OBJ, USD, BLEND, PNG, VDB, HDR, and EXR.
Dropping an image opens a menu to import it as a plane, reference image, or background image, and images can be dragged straight from a website or search engine without downloading first. In the Shader Editor you can drop multiple images at once and drag an image onto a node socket to connect it automatically. Folders import their full contents, folder trees are organized by Collections, VDB sequences are supported, and HDR or EXR files are set up as the scene's HDRI.
The project is no longer maintained, as the functionality was added to Blender natively. The current version works with Blender 4.0, apart from dropping images directly onto the Principled BSDF shader node. Windows and MacOS Intel builds are available, with a version for Apple Silicon in development.
Drag & Drop Import is best for blender users who prefer importing assets by dragging files into the viewport instead of navigating menus and dialogs.
Drag & Drop Import is completely free to download and use.
Drag & Drop Import runs on Blender 4.0 in its current version. One feature is affected: dropping images directly onto the Principled BSDF shader node, which does not work yet because the API has not been updated for the node's new look. The rest of the workflow, including dragging models, folders, images, and other supported files into the 3D Viewport or Outliner, functions on 4.0. Keep in mind that the project is no longer maintained, since drag-and-drop importing was later added to Blender natively.
Drag & Drop Import is available for Windows and for MacOS on Intel CPUs, with the MacOS build marked as Beta. A version for Apple Silicon (M chip) is still under development, as the newer M chips are not yet fully supported by all of the libraries the plugin relies on. If you run an Intel-based Mac or a Windows machine, you can download and use the plugin as described, while Apple Silicon users will need to wait for the dedicated build.
Drag & Drop Import supports more than 30 file types, covering 3D formats such as FBX, GLB, GLTF, OBJ, MTL, X3D, WRL, ABC, PLY, STL, BVH, DAE, USD, USDC, USDA, and BLEND. It also handles images and textures (PNG, JPG, JPEG, TIFF, PSD, EXR, HDR), vector and CAD files (SVG, DXF), video (MP4, MOV), volumetric VDB data, SketchUp SKP files, and Python (PY) scripts. Dragging a supported file drops it into Blender using the importer for that type.
Drag & Drop Import brings a file in with its default settings when you drag it using the left-click button. To adjust the import options first, drag the file with the right-click button instead, or hold down the Ctrl key while dragging with the left-click button. The same applies to images: right-click or Ctrl+left-click while dragging to reach the settings before the import completes. When multiple files or a folder share a single file type, you also get the chance to change their import settings beforehand.
Drag & Drop Import is listed as free here. For the most current licensing terms, along with the Windows and MacOS Intel downloads and the documentation, check the developer's page. Keep in mind that the project is no longer maintained, as the drag-and-drop import functionality was later added to Blender natively, so new updates should not be expected. The developer also invites bug reports and suggestions for additional file types.
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