BLEND (Blender)
Also known as: .blend file, Blender file, how to open BLEND
BLEND is the native project file of Blender, the free 3D software. It saves an entire scene — models, materials, textures, lights, cameras, animation, and even editor layout — in one binary file, so it is a working document rather than an interchange format.
- Native Blender project file, not an interchange format
- Stores the whole scene plus editor state
- Export to glTF, FBX, OBJ, or STL to use elsewhere
What a BLEND file stores
A .blend file is Blender’s full project save. It can hold everything in a scene: meshes, modifiers, PBR materials and node setups, packed or linked textures, rigs, physics, animation, render settings, and your window layout. Files grow large when textures are packed inside.
Because it captures the entire editing state, BLEND is meant for ongoing work in Blender, not for handing a model to another program.
How to open and share BLEND
BLEND files open in Blender (free, on macOS, Windows, and Linux). They are largely tied to that app and to the version that made them, so opening a newer file in an older Blender can lose features.
To use a model elsewhere — a game engine, the web, or another 3D tool — export from Blender to an interchange format such as glTF/GLB, FBX, OBJ, or STL for 3D printing.