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M3D Prep Tools

by Miks3d·Workflow

Images © Miks3d. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Every feature grew from real bake-prep pain points raised by 3D artists working on game-asset pipelines. Development was AI-assisted with Claude, directed and iteratively tested by the author and volunteer 3D artists.

What is M3D Prep Tools?

M3D Prep Tools is an all-in-one bake-prep workflow add-on for 3D game artists working in Blender. It replaces the manual work of renaming low-poly and high-poly meshes, coloring them for bake ID maps, and exporting them, and makes the pipeline faster, cleaner, and less error-prone.

The add-on is organized into modules. Name Tagger batch-renames meshes into low-poly and high-poly bake families and moves them into target collections. Mesh Group Hub is the command center for bake groups, offering Compare View, a Retopology Helper, and a Bake Family Check that flags families missing a low or high partner. Color Tagger assigns distinct viewport colors through Material, Vertex Color, or both, across Quick, Auto, and Custom modes. Export Manager handles collection-based FBX export.

A Quick-Action Menu, bound to a configurable hotkey, surfaces common actions without leaving the viewport. M3D Prep Tools requires Blender 2.80 or newer and has no external dependencies, running on pure Blender Python. Its features originated from real bake-prep pain points raised by game artists, and its development was AI-assisted with iterative testing.

Who is M3D Prep Tools best for?

M3D Prep Tools is best for game artists prepping meshes for baking in Substance or Marmoset, and studios that want a consistent, repeatable naming and export convention across a team.

How much does M3D Prep Tools cost?

M3D Prep Tools is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Name Tagger batch-renames and organizes meshes into low-poly / high-poly bake families, moving them into target collections
  • Mesh Group Hub manages MG1 (low) and MG2 (high) collections with Compare View, a Retopology Helper, and a Bake Family Check
  • Color Tagger assigns distinct viewport colors via Material, Vertex Color, or both, across Quick, Auto, and Custom modes
  • Export Manager provides collection-based FBX export, outputting MG1 and MG2 as separate files with _low / _high suffix overrides
  • Quick-Action Menu bound to a configurable hotkey (default Ctrl+Shift+F) surfaces common actions from the viewport
  • No external dependencies: pure Blender Python with no pip installs

Tags

#bake prep#game art#FBX export#mesh renaming#retopology#workflow#Blender add-on

Frequently asked questions

Does M3D Prep Tools work with Blender 2.80?

M3D Prep Tools runs in Blender 2.80 and newer, so it covers a broad range of releases from that version onward. It installs as a standard Blender add-on and relies only on pure Blender Python, with no external dependencies or pip installs required. That keeps setup straightforward on any system already running a supported Blender build. If you work across several Blender versions, the 2.80-and-newer baseline means the add-on should be available in most modern installs you use for game-asset work, without extra configuration.

Does M3D Prep Tools need any external dependencies?

M3D Prep Tools needs no external dependencies. It is written in pure Blender Python, so there are no pip installs or extra libraries to configure before you start. Beyond that, the only stated requirement is Blender 2.80 or newer. This makes the add-on self-contained: once it is enabled in Blender's preferences, its tools for renaming, coloring, grouping, and exporting bake families are ready to use, with no additional environment setup or third-party software on top of Blender itself.

Is M3D Prep Tools free to use?

M3D Prep Tools is listed as free here and is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later (GPLv3+), in line with Blender's own licensing terms. Under those terms you are free to use, study, modify, and redistribute it. The full license text is provided in the LICENSE file included with the add-on, and you can check the developer's page for current licensing details. Because it is GPLv3+, the source remains open for anyone who wants to adapt it to their own pipeline.

What file format does M3D Prep Tools export to?

M3D Prep Tools exports through its Export Manager, which handles collection-based FBX export. A single button exports both the MG1 (low) and MG2 (high) collections as two separate FBX files, auto-unhiding any hidden meshes and restoring the scene afterward. Custom _low and _high suffix overrides are supported, and an Export Selected option gives a per-file dialog when you need finer control. This keeps the low-poly and high-poly outputs organized for a bake pipeline without manual file juggling every time you export.

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