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Searching for Models and Materials

Last updated: Aug 21, 20263 min read.

3D Warehouse's Search tool helps you search for models based on keywords, phrases, or images.

To search for models using keywords or phrases, type what you are looking for in the search bar and press Enter or click (3dw icon search.png).
3dw search text.gif

With 3D Warehouse's image search, you can use a reference image to find similar models.

2026 image 3DW image search results.png

To search using an image:

  1. Click ( 3dw icon image search.png ) in the search box.
  2. In the 3D Warehouse Image Search dialog, use one of the following methods to upload a reference image.

    • Drag-and-drop an image.

    • Browse your device for the image file.

    • Paste an image from your clipboard.

    • Enter a URL for an image.


    3D Warehouse will find the best matches based on your reference image.

    2026 image 3DW image search results.png
  3. Scroll to view the current results.

    2026 image 3DW image search results entire.png

    After uploading an image file, you can further modify the search results by cropping the image. For instance, you might upload an image of a living room set of furniture. To find matches just for the couch, crop the image so only the couch is visible. 

To redefine a search by cropping a reference image:

  1. After you have uploaded an image, drag the corners of the image in the results page to define a new search target.

    2026 image 3DW image result cropped.png
  2. Click Apply. New results appear for the cropped image.

    2026 image 3DW cropped image search result.png
  3. To return to the reference image, click Edit Crop.
    You can then change how the image was cropped, or click Reset Crop and Apply to view the search results for the entire image.

Filtering Search Results

After you perform a search, you can narrow down your search results in a few different ways. 

Search by Category

For text searches, you can filter by Models, Catalogs, Collections, and Materials.

2026 image 3DW category filter.png

3D Warehouse lets you search by the following categories.

  • Models: Models incorporating your search criteria

  • Catalogs: Catalogs (a curated group of manufacturer models) related to your search criteria

  • Collections: Collections (a curated group of models) related to your search criteria

  • Materials: Materials matching your search criteria

Search through Filters

There are filters for each category with additional search criteria. 

To view available search filters:

  1. Click Filters in the upper right of the page. All available filters for that search category appear in the left pane.

    2026 image 3DW available category filters.png
  2. Click Reset to remove and reset all selected filters.

The search criteria for Models, Catalogs, and Collections include:

  • Category

  • Subcategory

  • File Size

  • Polygon Count

  • Specialty Filters

    • Certified Content

    • Dynamic Component

    • Live Component

    • Geolocated

    • Show Models with Photoreal Textures

  • Title & Author

  • Date Created

  • Date Modified

The search criteria for Materials include:

  • Result Types

    • All Results

    • Products

    • Materials

  • Category

  • Texture Map

    • Metalness Map

    • Roughness Map

    • Normal Map

    • Ambient Occlusion Map

  • Title & Author

  • Dated Created

  • Date Modified

Sorting Search Results

The dropdown menu above text search results contains sort options. After selecting a sort option, you can further sort your results into descending or ascending order by clicking the icon that appears (Shows 3D Warehouse sort icon in descending order).
2026 image 3DW sort options.png

3D Warehouse offers the following sort options.

  • Relevance

  • Popularity

  • Likes

  • Author Name

  • Title

  • Date Modified

  • Date Created