.blend File — Blender Project

BLEND is the native project file format for Blender, the industry-leading free and open-source 3D creation suite. BLEND files store complete 3D projects including mesh geometry, materials, textures, lighting, cameras, animations, rigging, particle systems, physics simulations, compositing node trees, video editing sequences, and Python scripts. The format uses a DNA/SDNA system that embeds the data structure definitions within each file, making BLEND files forward and backward compatible across Blender versions — newer Blender versions can read old files by understanding their embedded structure definitions. BLEND files can pack external dependencies (textures, fonts, sounds) into the file itself for portability, or reference them externally for smaller file sizes. Blender's library linking system allows BLEND files to reference objects, materials, and scenes from other BLEND files, enabling collaborative workflows. The format supports scene layers, collections, view layers for render passes, and multiple workspaces. Blender has been used in major film productions (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Next Gen), game development, architectural visualization, product design, and scientific visualization. The format's comprehensiveness makes BLEND files a complete project archive.