# From Blender to a FiveM weapon with Sollumz

> Export a custom FiveM-compatible weapon from Blender with Sollumz: scale and origin, drawable and LOD setup, WAP attachment bones, weapon shaders and CodeWalker.

Source: https://fam-tools.com/guides/blender-sollumz-weapon-export · FAM Tools · published 2026-09-11 · updated 2026-09-11 · about 13 min

**Short answer.** Import a vanilla weapon `.ydr` with Sollumz as a reference, match your model’s scale (1 unit = 1 metre), orientation and origin to it, keep the attachment bones the weapon uses (such as `WAPClip`, `WAPSupp`, `WAPFlshLasr`, `WAPScop`), assign Sollumz weapon shaders with correctly named textures, then export. Convert CodeWalker XML to binary with CodeWalker if your Sollumz version exports XML, stream the files and test.

## Key points

- Always start from a vanilla weapon as reference.
- 1 Blender unit = 1 metre; match origin and forward axis.
- Keep the attachment bones weapons.meta refers to.
- Use Sollumz weapon shaders and `_d`/`_n`/`_s` textures.
- Test with a known-good weapons.meta before tuning anything else.

Sollumz is the Blender add-on that reads and writes GTA V’s model formats. With it, a weapon modelled in Blender becomes a `.ydr` the game can load. The safest way to get there is to start from a vanilla weapon, so scale, origin and bones match what the game expects.

## Step 1: set up Blender and Sollumz

1. Install a Blender version supported by the current Sollumz release (check its release notes).
2. Install the Sollumz add-on and enable it.
3. Extract a vanilla weapon close to yours (for example `w_pi_pistol.ydr` and its `.ytd`) with CodeWalker or OpenIV.
4. Import it in Blender through the Sollumz import option.

Tool overview: [OpenIV, CodeWalker and Sollumz](https://fam-tools.com/guides/openiv-codewalker-sollumz).

## Step 2: match scale, origin and orientation

- Scale your mesh so it overlaps the vanilla gun — GTA uses metres.
- Put the origin where the vanilla weapon’s origin is (around the grip), or it floats away from the hand.
- Match the forward axis: the muzzle points the same way as the reference.
- Apply transforms before export.

## Step 3: bones and attachment points

Weapons carry a small skeleton. Components attach to named bones listed in `weapons.meta` — magazines on `WAPClip`, suppressors on `WAPSupp`, flashlights on `WAPFlshLasr`, scopes on `WAPScop`, grips on `WAPGrip`. Reuse the reference weapon’s armature and move the bones to your model’s mount points, so existing attachments line up. Positions are covered in [flashlight and scope positions](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-flashlight-scope-positions).

## Step 4: shaders and textures

Assign Sollumz shader materials — the weapon shaders the vanilla gun uses (for example a `weapon_normal_spec…` variant) — rather than plain Blender materials. Name textures clearly (`w_pi_mypistol_d`, `_n`, `_s`) and keep sizes sensible; see [normal and specular maps](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-normal-specular-maps) and [texture resolution](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-texture-resolution).

## Step 5: LODs

A drawable can hold several levels of detail. At minimum, keep the high model light enough for a weapon; add a medium and low LOD so weapons carried by distant players cost little. Details: [weapon LOD models](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-lod-models).

## Step 6: export and convert

1. Select the drawable and export with Sollumz.
2. If it wrote CodeWalker XML (`.ydr.xml`), import that into CodeWalker to produce the binary `.ydr` (recent Sollumz versions can also write binary files directly).
3. Put the `.ydr` and `.ytd` in your resource’s `stream` folder, next to the weapon meta files.
4. Test with `GiveWeaponToPed` and check the model in hand, in first person and on the ground.

Registering the weapon (weapons.meta, archetypes, animations) is covered in [adding custom weapons](https://fam-tools.com/guides/add-custom-weapons-to-fivem).

## Common export problems

| Problem | Cause |
| --- | --- |
| Weapon floats away from the hand | Origin or bone positions differ from the reference |
| Invisible weapon | Wrong model name in weapons.meta / archetypes, or failed export |
| Pink or white weapon | Texture names do not match the shader parameters |
| Attachments in the wrong place | Attachment bones not moved to the new mount points |
| Crash when equipping | Broken skeleton or unsupported shader — compare with the vanilla file |

## Questions

### Can I make FiveM weapons in Blender?

Yes, with the Sollumz add-on, which imports and exports GTA V model formats.

### Why does my weapon float away from the hand?

Its origin or bones do not match the vanilla weapon. Align it to an imported reference.

### What are WAPClip and WAPScop?

Attachment bones: magazines attach to `WAPClip`, scopes to `WAPScop`. `weapons.meta` refers to them.

### Does Sollumz export .ydr directly?

It exports CodeWalker XML that CodeWalker converts to `.ydr`; recent versions can also write binary files.

## Related

- https://fam-tools.com/guides/openiv-codewalker-sollumz
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-lod-models
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-polycount-optimization
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/add-custom-weapons-to-fivem