Convert OBJ to an animated GIF
Turn a Wavefront OBJ into a looping turntable GIF in your browser. Geometry renders immediately; materials live in a separate file.
Formats it opens
- OBJ
Anything else is refused when you choose it rather than failing halfway through. See every format MeshCrunch supports.
Limits and privacy
- Opens models up to 50 MB without an account.
- Your model is stored privately in your own workspace and deleted after 24 hours unless you sign in.
- Uses none of your processing credits: viewing and spinning a model are done by your browser, not by a server.
Every frame of your OBJ turntable is rendered and encoded by this browser, so it costs no processing credits. The file itself goes to your own private workspace, which needs no account and is cleared after 24 hours.
How it works
- 1
Drop in your OBJ file
The Wavefront OBJ goes straight to your private workspace and opens on the Turntable tab. No account, and no processing credit.
- 2
Set the spin
Pick a preset, or set duration, direction, resolution and frame rate. The preview is the real renderer, so what you see is what encodes.
- 3
Export a GIF or MP4
Write a looping GIF, an MP4 where your browser has the encoder, or a single PNG still with a transparent background.
What to expect from OBJ files
- An OBJ stores geometry only. Its materials are in a separate .mtl and its textures in separate images, none of which are part of the file you choose.
- Without those, the model renders with a neutral studio material — which is usually what you want for showing form.
- For a textured preview, export to GLB first; the converter here does that in one step.
- The result is a 2D animation of the model. It is not a converted 3D file.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add the .mtl file so the materials show up?
Not directly — the tool reads a single file. Convert the OBJ to GLB first and the materials come with it; the converter is free and does exactly that.
Why is my OBJ facing the wrong way?
OBJ has no agreed up axis, so exporters differ: some write Y-up and some Z-up. The camera frames whatever it is given, so a model on its side was written that way. Rotate it in your authoring tool before exporting.
My OBJ has vertex colours. Will they show?
Yes, where the exporter wrote them as extra values on each vertex line. That is a common but non-standard extension, so a file that renders grey here may simply not carry them.
Where does my OBJ file go?
To private storage only you can reach, so the workspace can open it — never anywhere public, and deleted after 24 hours unless you sign in. The animation itself is rendered and encoded by your own browser, which is why it uses no processing credits.
Related tools
- GIF maker for every formatThe same tool, with guidance for each format it opens.
- 3D model viewerInspect the OBJ — wireframe, grid, triangle and vertex counts.
- 3D file converterChange the OBJ into another 3D format. A GIF is a picture of the model, not a copy of it.
- Mesh simplifierReduce the triangle count so the model itself loads faster.
Make a GIF from a OBJ file
Every frame of your OBJ turntable is rendered and encoded by this browser, so it costs no processing credits. The file itself goes to your own private workspace, which needs no account and is cleared after 24 hours.
Need the model itself smaller rather than just visible? Optimize a 3D model.