GLB is the binary variant of glTF format. The entire 3D scene (geometry, materials, textures) is packed into a single compact file. Faster loading and smaller size compared to glTF with separate resources.
Key Features

About GLB Format
glTF 2.0 is the Khronos Group standard for transmitting 3D scenes, often called "the JPEG of 3D": a scene description, geometry and materials in the PBR model. GLB is its binary packing, where everything including buffers and textures sits in a single file. That is exactly why GLB became the default format for the web, for augmented reality and for quick model exchange.
The export is for when a 3D city has to show up in a browser or on a phone: an interactive model of a block on a website, an AR view of the development, a project presentation with no special software to install. GLB opens in the built-in Windows viewer and loads into three.js in a few lines.
Only buildings go into the scene. Every outline is extruded to its own height: first by the height tag, then by building:levels multiplied by 3 meters, and if neither is present, by a neutral default of about 9 meters. Optionally a flat base is added; there is no terrain relief in the file.
Coordinates are meters relative to the center of the selected area, so the model arrives at real scale and does not fly off from the origin. Buildings are colored by development type with PBR materials, so in a viewer the scene looks meaningful straight away, with no manual setup.
What Program Opens GLB Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with GLB (Binary glTF) (.glb) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Open standard
- 3D coordinates supported
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- Stores feature attributes
- Output: 1 file
- glTF 2.0 binary container (.glb). Single self-contained file with mesh + textures. Best for AR/VR and Web 3D.
Who Uses GLB Maps
How to Export GLB
How to Open After Export
- Windows 10 and 11 — open it with a double click in the built-in "3D Viewer": you can spin the model around without installing anything.
- Blender (free) — File → Import → glTF 2.0; the scene arrives with materials, and from there it is lighting, camera and rendering.
- three.js and Babylon.js — GLTFLoader loads the .glb directly; the file is self-contained, there are no separate assets to place alongside.
- Unity and Unreal Engine — import through a glTF plugin (in Unity that is glTFast or UnityGLTF); if your pipeline is set up for a different format, download FBX from us.
- Showing it to a client — upload the file to the Khronos online glTF viewer or to Sketchfab: the link opens in any browser, mobile included.
Popular maps in GLB
Get GLB (Binary glTF) map exports
Download professional GLB maps from OpenStreetMap. Instant generation, any area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Exported Together
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