MOT to glTF Converter
FileFlip converts MOT to glTF entirely inside your browser, using Assimp compiled to WebAssembly. The file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. That means no file-size limit, no queue and no account.
How do I convert a MOT file to glTF?#
- Drop your MOT file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer. You can add as many as you like.
- Leave the target set to glTF and the conversion starts on its own. FileFlip downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, then runs Assimp on your own machine.
- Save the glTF file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting MOT to glTF lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting MOT to glTF rebuilds the file in glTF's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything glTF can represent comes through exactly and anything it cannot has to be dropped. Expect the geometry to be exact, and anything the target has no place for, such as a rig, to be left behind.
Is it safe to convert MOT files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts MOT files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What MOT to glTF actually does to the file#
Converting MOT to glTF runs on Assimp, downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, rebuilds the file in the target's own model.
| Engine | Assimp |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: MOT → glTF |
| Downloaded to your browser | 11.2 MB, once, then cached by your browser |
| Quality | Rebuilt in the target's model |
| You get back | One file, or a ZIP when the source carries separate materials or buffers |
| Where it runs | In a background worker, so the page stays responsive |
What survives the conversion
| What is in the file | This conversion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Textures | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Skeleton and animation | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
Worth knowing before you start:
- the result is a single file when the model has no external materials or buffers, and a ZIP when it does
What is a MOT file?#
A MOT file holds NewTek LightWave motion data, the position, rotation and scale keyframes for a single item saved out from a scene so they can be applied to a different item.
Save motion as MOT when a keyframed animation needs to be reused on a different item inside LightWave.
Convert MOT to FBX or glTF animation data once the motion needs to drive a rig outside LightWave.
What is a glTF file?#
A glTF file is a JSON scene description, developed by the Khronos Group and first released in 2015, that lists a model's meshes, PBR materials, animations and scene hierarchy while its binary geometry and textures sit alongside it in separate buffer and image files.
Use glTF's JSON form when a pipeline needs to inspect or hand-edit the scene structure directly, since it's plain, indexed JSON.
Convert glTF to GLB when the model needs to travel or load as a single file instead of a folder of JSON, buffers and textures.
MOT to glTF questions people ask#
What is a MOT file?
In LightWave, a MOT file holds the keyframed motion channels for a single item: position, rotation and scale over time, saved out separately from the scene it was recorded in. Applying a MOT file to a different item in LightWave transfers that motion onto it.
Does a MOT file contain a 3D model?
No. A LightWave MOT file stores only motion channels, not geometry. It has to be applied to an existing item, whether that's an object, a light or a camera, before it means anything.
Is MOT the same format everywhere I see it?
No, the .mot extension is overloaded. This entry describes NewTek LightWave's motion file, one item's keyframe data separated from a scene; other applications use .mot for unrelated motion or audio data with a completely different structure.
What's the difference between glTF and GLB?
glTF is a JSON text file that references its geometry buffers and textures as separate files, while GLB packs that same JSON, the buffers and the textures into a single binary file. Both describe the identical data model; GLB just bundles everything one file needs to travel as one upload.