Sollumz vs Zmodeler3: Documented Capabilities Side by Side

If you are picking a tool for the GTA V export step of a vehicle build, the two most common choices in 2026 are Sollumz (open-source Blender addon) and Zmodeler3 (paid standalone editor with native GTA support). This post compares them strictly on documented capabilities from each project's own sources - what each one says it does, with no opinion-as-fact filling in the gaps.

Sollumz: from the project README

From the Sollumz GitHub repository: "Blender plugin to import, export, or create GTA V assets."

Documented file format support:

• YDR (drawables)
• YDD (drawable dictionaries)
• YFT (fragments / vehicles)
• YBN (bounds / collision)
• YTYP (type definitions)
• YCD (clip dictionaries / animations)
• YMAP (map placement, with partial support)

Documented features:

• Import and export of all listed formats
• Automatic texture loading
• Vertex colors
• Bones and weights
• Animations
• Custom normals
• Shader editing
• Creating or modifying vehicles and dynamic props

License: GPL-3.0. Free.

Requires: Blender 4.0 or newer.

Zmodeler3: from public documentation

Per the Wikipedia article on Zmodeler: "Initially released in the early 2000s, ZModeler has become a popular tool among modders and game developers for building custom vehicles, characters, and other in-game assets." Developed by Oleg Melashenko.

Latest stable version per Wikipedia: 3.3.1 (Build 1242), released May 26, 2024.

Documented format support includes GTA-series formats. For GTA V specifically, third-party tutorials and the Zmodeler forum confirm support for .yft (fragments / vehicle models) and .ytd (texture dictionaries).

Native project file format: .z3d.

License: per Wikipedia, "Since version 2, ZModeler is no longer offered as a feature-rich freeware." Classified as "Trialware" - users can test the tool but full activation including format import/export filters requires purchase.

What Sollumz documentation does NOT explicitly claim

Looking at the Sollumz README, several things are not in the documented feature list:

• Direct YMT / metadata file editing (vehicles.meta, handling.meta still edited as text outside Sollumz)
• Audio asset (.awc) support
• Built-in LOD chain auto-generation tools (the README does not call this out specifically; it lists "creating or modifying vehicles" but does not detail LOD-chain workflow)

What Zmodeler3 has been documented to do well

Per third-party documentation and the Zmodeler forum's GTA V import/export thread, Zmodeler3 has been used heavily for:

• Direct YFT export with proper bone hierarchy
• LOD chain generation (the L0/_hi.yft and L1-L4/.yft pair)
• Tuning slot dummy management (the mod_* dummies that surface in LS Customs)
• Collision (.col) generation

Where they overlap

Both tools can:

• Export YFT vehicle models
• Set up bone hierarchies
• Handle texture references / UV mapping
• Edit shader assignments

The decision rubric

Going strictly by the documented capabilities and license model:

• If you want a free, open-source tool inside Blender's modeling environment: Sollumz fits the documented description.
• If you want a tool with longer-established GTA-format pedigree and are willing to pay for the activation: Zmodeler3 has a documented track record back to the GTA III era.
• If you are doing significant Blender modeling work anyway: Sollumz lets you avoid switching tools at the export stage.
• If you are coming from older Zmodeler workflows or following older tutorials: Zmodeler3 keeps you on the path most existing tutorials assume.

What I cannot tell you from documentation alone

Both tools have nuances that only show up in actual use - export quirks, edge-case bugs, specific feature limitations. Neither project's documentation perfectly covers every case. The Sollumz Discord and the Zmodeler3 forum are where these are discussed by working users.

Sources

• Sollumz GitHub Repository
• Sollumz Documentation
• Wikipedia: Zmodeler
• Zmodeler Forum: GTAV Enhanced Import/Export support thread