Poly Haven Integration: Free HDRIs, Textures, and Models

Poly Haven is a library of thousands of free, CC0-licensed HDRIs, physically-based textures, and 3D models. With MCP for Blender, you can search and download any asset directly into your scene using natural language. No API key is required, and all assets are free to use for any purpose.

Enabling

To start using Poly Haven assets in MCP for Blender, enable the integration in Blender's interface.

In the 3D viewport, press N to open the sidebar.
Select the MCP for Blender tab.
Tick Poly Haven.

Once enabled, your LLM can search and download Poly Haven assets automatically when you ask for them.

What You Can Download

Poly Haven provides three types of assets, each handled differently when imported:

HDRIs

High dynamic range environment images. When downloaded, they are packed into the file and set up in a new world, so they don't overwrite a world you built.

PBR Textures

Physically-based material sets including diffuse, normal, roughness, and displacement maps. MCP for Blender creates a full material and applies it to the target object.

3D Models

Complete 3D assets imported from the artist's original .blend file, which keeps full material detail.

Example Prompts

You can ask your LLM to use Poly Haven assets in natural language. Here are some effective prompts:

"Create a beach scene using HDRIs, textures, and vegetation from Poly Haven"
"Set up studio lighting using a Poly Haven HDRI"
"Apply a wood texture from Poly Haven to the floor"

Tools Used

When you request a Poly Haven asset, MCP for Blender uses these tools behind the scenes:

Tool	Purpose
`get_polyhaven_categories(asset_type)`	List categories and filterable attributes for an asset type
`search_polyhaven_assets(query, asset_type, category, attributes)`	Search by meaning (e.g. "couch" finds sofas, in any language), with optional category and attribute filters
`get_polyhaven_asset_preview(asset_id)`	Check an asset's thumbnail before downloading
`download_polyhaven_asset(asset_id, asset_type, resolution, file_format)`	Download the selected asset into the scene
`set_texture(object_name, texture_id)`	Apply a downloaded texture to a specific object

Download Options

When downloading assets, you can specify resolution and format:

Resolution: 1k, 2k, 4k, or 8k for most assets, and up to 16k or 24k for some HDRIs. File size grows roughly fourfold per step, so prefer 1k–2k unless the asset is close to camera.
HDRIs: file_format of hdr (default) or exr
Textures: file_format of jpg (default), png, or exr
3D Models: always imported from .blend; no format argument

No API key is required. All Poly Haven assets are CC0 licensed, so you can use them freely in personal and commercial projects without attribution. On import, the asset's ID, page URL, authors, resolution, and licence are written onto the imported data as custom properties (polyhaven_id, polyhaven_url, and so on).