by AstrorEnales·Modeling
Images © AstrorEnales. Used for product review; image policy.
This extension earns its place in the blender_extensions library by covering voxel import in depth, from separate-cube and greedy meshing to a Textured Models mode that outputs base color, emission, roughness, and metallic maps with UV unwrapping.
MagicaVoxel VOX format adds .vox file import to Blender, bringing MagicaVoxel voxel models in with control over how they are meshed, colored, and shaded. The extension supports several meshing types, including Voxel as Models (a six-sided cube per voxel as separate models), Simple Cubes (a cube per voxel combined into one mesh per model), and Greedy meshing. A voxel hull option analyzes each model and ignores voxels inside it, and is available for certain meshing types.
Color and material handling covers modes ranging from Ignore to Vertex Color, Material Per Color, Materials As Texture (a 256x1 texture), and Textured Models with UV unwrap. Import Material Properties variants add MagicaVoxel material data as vertex color layers, textures, or Blender material nodes. The Textured Models mode generates base color, emission, roughness, and metallic textures alongside UV unwrapping.
Additional options let you import the MagicaVoxel hierarchy as empty axis objects with transformations applied hierarchically, join all models into one on a voxel basis before meshing, recalculate object origins from geometry, and set the unit voxel size.
MagicaVoxel VOX format is best for blender users importing MagicaVoxel .vox models who want control over meshing, color and material modes, model joining, hierarchy, and voxel size.
MagicaVoxel VOX format is completely free to download and use.
MagicaVoxel VOX format is compatible with Blender 4.2 LTS and newer, so it should run on current Blender releases. The listed version is 1.6.0, last updated 2024-06-28. If you are on an older Blender release, you would need to update Blender to meet the 4.2 LTS minimum before installing the extension for importing your .vox files. For installation steps and any further compatibility notes, check the developer's page on GitHub.
MagicaVoxel VOX format's Textured Models (UV unwrap) material modes are only usable and sensible with the Greedy meshing mode. This mode generates textures for base color, emission, roughness, and metallic and UV unwraps the model faces onto them, aimed at a workflow toward game-ready assets. Since such assets are generally sensible only as optimized meshes, the textured modes are tied to Greedy meshing rather than the per-voxel cube meshing options.
MagicaVoxel VOX format's Join Models option merges all models in a .vox file into one. Joining happens on a voxel basis and before meshing, which the developer describes as superior to just combining the resulting Blender meshes for generating the voxel hull and greedy meshing. If you leave it off, each model is imported separately according to your chosen meshing and material settings.
MagicaVoxel VOX format is listed as free in this catalog. It is distributed through the blender_extensions source, and the project for importing MagicaVoxel .vox files into Blender is available on the developer's GitHub page. Pricing here reflects the catalog listing rather than any figure from the developer. For current licensing terms and any conditions on use, refer to the official repository at github.com/AstrorEnales/blender_magicavoxel maintained by AstrorEnales.
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