Save a scene

Saving a scene keeps your work so you can open it again and carry on. Exporting writes a file for another program. Do both: save a scene for yourself, export for whoever gets the result.

What a scene file is

A scene file is a .glb file. It holds the model as it is now, after everything you deleted, reduced and recoloured. It also remembers things only MeshOptimiser uses: the camera, the view settings, which parts were hidden or flagged, your measurements and the notes people left on the model. Other programs can open the file as an ordinary GLB and ignore the rest.

Save

1. Press CtrlS. You can also click the dot on the scene’s tab, or choose Menu, then Save scene….
2. The Save scene window opens. At the top it says what is about to be written: how many parts, how many triangles and about how big the file will be.
3. Check the Filename, or type your own. The ending .glb is added for you. The buttons under the name can build it for you (see below).
4. Look at the options under the name, and press Save….
5. Where the browser allows it, a file window opens. Choose a folder and confirm. Otherwise the file goes to your downloads folder.
6. The dot on the tab turns green.

Saving again under the same name writes to the same file without asking where. The window then says “Saves over” and the name of the file, and the button reads Save.

Build the file name

Under the name are small buttons. Each one adds a piece to the name. Press it again and the piece comes off. The numbers are those of what is about to be written, and they follow the options below, so the name stays true.

+ date

Today’s date, like 2026-10-08.

+ time

The time now, like 1432h.

+ version

A version number like v2. Press it again to raise the number. Hold Shift while you press to take it off.

+ triangles

How many triangles the file holds, like 17k-tris.

+ parts

How many parts, like 67-parts.

+ size

About how big the file is, like 370KB.

+ saving

How much lighter than the file you opened, like -42pct. It shows only when the new file is lighter.

+ optimised

Adds the word optimised, to mark the file as the optimised one.

+ selection

Adds the word selection, to mark the file as a part of the scene.

Source name

Starts again from the name of the file you opened.

A button that is in use shows a minus sign instead of the plus. You can also type in the name by hand.

The options

Whole scene

On: every part. Off: only the selected parts. It is dimmed when nothing is selected, and says how many parts are selected.

Include hidden parts

Hidden parts are written too, and come back hidden when you open the scene again. It says how many are hidden.

Remember the view and settings

Stores the camera, the display settings, flags and measurements in the file. Other programs ignore them.

Include the notes

Shown only when the scene has notes. On: the notes go in the file, with who wrote what, the replies and every edit. Other programs ignore them. Turn it off for a file that goes outside your team.

Save as a copy

Writes the file without making it this scene’s file. The scene keeps its unsaved mark, and the next save goes where it went before.

A file that holds only some of the scene (only the selection, or no hidden parts) is never the scene’s own file. The app turns on Save as a copy for you.

Know whether you have saved

The dot on the tab is yellow while there are changes that are not saved, and green when the scene is saved. Other tabs show a yellow dot too when they have unsaved changes. Closing a tab or quitting with unsaved changes asks first.

Open a scene again

Open the .glb like any other file: drop it on the window, press CtrlO, or pick it from the recent files on the start screen. The camera and the view settings come back with it, and hidden parts are still hidden.

Scene or export?

Save scene

Everything, including hidden parts, at the scene’s own scale and orientation. For continuing your work.

Export

What you choose, in the format, scale and orientation the next program needs. For handing over.