Motion Mistry Article

Free 3D Models for Blender and News Animations (GLB): Jets, Drones, Ships and Tanks

Map animations look much better when the jet flying across the screen is a real 3D model instead of a flat picture. You can rotate it, light it and match the camera angle of your map. The problem is finding models that are military-themed, free and light enough to use.

Our 3D Models library collects them in one place, with a live 3D preview for each one.

What’s in the library

  • Fighter jets: F-16, F-35, JF-17 Thunder, J-10, Su-35, MiG-25 and the B-2 Spirit bomber, plus F-16s in Israel and Turkey flag liveries.
  • Drones: Bayraktar TB2, Shahed-136 and flag-livery combat drones.
  • Ships: USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, Arleigh Burke destroyer, Type 22 missile boat, coast guard ship, container ship, research vessel, tanker and a submarine.
  • Ground and air defence: T-90AM tank and the Patriot MIM-104 system.
  • Missiles and props: PrSM, ballistic missile, JDAM bomb, AK-47, parachute, oil drums and a pack of four passenger cars.

How to download and use a model

  1. Open the 3D Models page and use the category buttons to filter.
  2. Click 3D view to rotate the model and check it from every side. Switch the background to green screen if you want to screen-record it.
  3. Click Download. You get a ZIP with the .glb file and a LICENSE.txt.
  4. In Blender, go to File → Import → glTF 2.0 and pick the GLB.

Using GLB models in After Effects

After Effects can’t open GLB files natively. The simplest route is to import the model into Blender, set up your camera and render a short PNG sequence with a transparent background, then bring that sequence into After Effects above your GEOlayers map.

Licence and credits

Most models are shared under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) by their Sketchfab creators. You can use them for free, including in monetized videos, as long as you credit the author, for example in your video description. The author’s name and a link are on each card and in the included LICENSE.txt. Models marked “By Motion Mistry” were made by us and are free to use.

Preview your own models too

Below the library there is a free 3D Model Viewer. Drop any GLB or GLTF file from your computer to inspect it in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

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