Files associated with MMD can’t be imported directly in Blender. Thankfully, a Blender add-on called “mmd_tools” makes this possible.

In fact, mmd_tools facilitates more than just importing models; it can translate the bone constraints and physics into formats usable by Blender.

Installation

Installing mmd_tools is like installing any other Blender add-on.

First, download the files from this GitHub repository. To install the add-on:

1. Extract the zip file, then copy the “mmd_tools” folder.
2. Go to the Blender installation directory (which is usually your Program Files folder).
3. Navigate to “Blender2.80scriptsaddons”. This is where the Blender add-ons are located.
4. Paste the “mmd_tools” folder in the “addons” directory.

Next, we’ll activate the add-on in Blender:

1. Launch Blender, then go to “Edit > Preferences”.
2. In the Preferences window, go to “Add-ons”.
3. In the search box located in the top right, search for “mmd”. This will bring up “Object: mmd_tools”.
4. Check the box next to it.

That’s it! You’ve successfully installed mmd_tools in Blender!

Note that the changes in preferences are automatically saved in Blender by default. However, to make sure you’re auto-save is on, click on the icon with three lines at the bottom left and see if the box checked.

Once you’ve installed mmd_tools, importing models is a cinch:

1. If you’ve started with the default scene, delete the cube mesh.
2. Press N on your keyboard to open the Viewport Properties panel. From the visible tabs, click on “MMD”.
3. In the panel, under “Model”, select “Import”.
4. In the browsing window, locate the PMD or PMX file that you want to import.
5. Before you import, take a look at the settings on the left. Here, you can select the data from the file Blender that should load and change various settings. One setting that’s good to alter is the scale. The default scale will cause the model to load in gigantic dimensions, so it’s best if you set it to something like 0.2.
6. Finally, click on “Import Model File”. You should see your model!

Alternatively, you can import a model by going to “File > Import > MikuMikuDance Model”.

Since “cycles” is the main final frame render engine in Blender, in order to see and render the object properly, it’s best to convert materials for cycles. To do this, select the model and then click on “Convert Materials For Cycles” in the MDD tab. This will prepare the materials and also let you see the textures.

As mentioned before, mmd_tools can do more than just import models. In fact, the most prominent functions are importing pose and motion data and translating the MDD info into a coherent form for Blender.

Once you import and select a model, new options will be available in the MMD tab:

• “Bone Constraint” and “Physics” will convert into Blender or clear the settings.
• “Motion” and “Pose” allow you to import these functions on the selected model and to export the altered ones from Blender.
• Below the “Operator” tab, there are other tabs that allow you to sort the different parts of the model (like bones, meshes, and materials).
• Since MMD is a Japanese program and most of the artists who design models for this platform are also Japanese, mmd_tools has a convenient tool labeled “Translation”, which translates the names of joints, bones, and so on from Japanese to English.

When you’re done importing and adjusting everything, you can preview the animation and then render your movie!

If you want to know more, GitHub’s official documentation can give you a thorough description of every function in mmd_tools.