Google is Open-sourcing its 3D Emoji

Back to Devoured - July 22, 2026

DEVOURED

Google is Open-sourcing its 3D Emoji

Design opensource The Verge

Google has open-sourced its Noto Emoji 3D set, providing raw .OBJ files for use in VR, apps, and digital media.

What: Google released the Noto Emoji 3D asset library as open-source .OBJ files for the first time, following the set's initial release in May 2026.

Decoder

.OBJ file: A standard 3D model format that stores geometry data, including the position of vertices and texture mapping, commonly used across 3D design software.

Original article

Google is releasing its 3D emoji as open-source .OBJ files, letting anyone use them for VR worlds, apps, or memes. The announcement came alongside design details shared for World Emoji Day, addressing dimensional questions like whether a smiley is a sphere, mask, or disc. The 3D emoji set, called Noto Emoji 3D, debuted in May to mixed reactions.

Explore all 55 articles in today's digest