GIMI: importing custom models into Genshin Impact with 3DMigoto

What GI-Model-Importer actually does, and who it is for

The project is a fork of 3DMigoto, retargeted at Genshin Impact. 3DMigoto is a DirectX wrapper that intercepts a game's draw calls so you can substitute textures, shaders and vertex buffers at runtime. GIMI ships that wrapper preconfigured for Genshin, plus a modified Blender add-on (blender_3dmigoto_gimi.py) for pulling game meshes in and pushing edited ones back out.

The audience is narrow and technical. You are expected to be comfortable with a Mods folder layout, an .ini configuration file, and Blender's import and export menus. The README also carries a blunt disclaimer: the author recommends only using private servers and states that using these tools on official Genshin servers carries a high risk of being banned. That sentence should decide the matter for most readers before they download anything.

The repository is not a mod collection. Model files live in a separate repository, GI-Model-Importer-Assets, and the project itself is the loader, the Blender plugin and the written guides.

How the 3DMigoto injection path works

Two executables are involved. 3DMigoto Loader.exe starts first and stays resident; you then launch the game through GenshinImpact.exe, not through the Genshin launcher. The loader injects the 3DMigoto DLL into the running process, at which point the wrapper can intercept rendering.

Once injected, the tool reads its d3dx.ini configuration, which contains a target line pointing at the game executable. In V6 and earlier the README says you may need to edit that line by hand to match your install path, and it offers a fallback: if your path does not work, try target = GenshinImpact.exe. From v7 onward the README states this step happens automatically.

Mods are loaded from a Mods folder, one mod per character at a time, and F10 reloads them in game. The development build draws green text at the top and bottom of the screen as an overlay; the playing build omits it and runs faster. That overlay is your confirmation that injection succeeded, which matters because the README notes that some users see the loader report it could not verify whether 3dmigoto loaded, and that this message does not mean injection failed. If the green text and mods appear, the README says there is no issue and you can close the command prompt.

Installing GIMI and loading your first mod

The README's install path starts from a release zip. Two builds are published, and the choice changes what you see on screen. Extract whichever you pick, then edit the target line only if you are on V6 or below.

target = GenshinImpact.exe

That line lives in d3dx.ini. The README warns you to point it at the game executable, not the launcher executable, and notes the game binary is usually in the Genshin Impact Game folder.

Start the loader before the game, then launch the game through GenshinImpact.exe.

3DMigoto Loader.exe

If injection worked, the development build shows green text at the top and bottom of the screen. The playing build shows nothing, so on that build the only signal is whether mods take effect. Drop mod files into the Mods folder and press F10 in game to load them.

For authoring rather than playing, install the Blender add-on. The README says it works with Blender 2.80 and above, and that you install it through Edit, Preferences, Add-Ons, Install, then select the .py file. On success, 3dmigoto appears in the plugin list and new entries appear in the import and export menus.

The standalone build is deprecated, and that is the main limitation

The README opens with a deprecation notice: standalone GIMI is deprecated and users should move to the XXMI loader, which the README says automatically loads the required files and libraries. It then concedes that the guides and scripts on the repository are outdated, while still containing useful information.

That creates a split repository. The Blender add-on and the walkthroughs remain the practical reference for anyone authoring models, but the loader instructions describe a path the maintainer no longer recommends. A reader following the installation steps top to bottom will set up a deprecated loader unless they read the notice first.

There are other limits worth naming. One mod per character at a time is a hard constraint on the Mods folder layout. The README does not document rollback, so there is no described procedure for reverting a mod that breaks rendering. And the ban risk on official servers is stated by the author in plain terms, which makes this the wrong tool for anyone unwilling to run a private server.

GIMI against XXMI and against plain 3DMigoto

XXMI is the alternative the project itself points at. The difference is in who assembles the environment: GIMI ships a preconfigured 3DMigoto build plus a manual loader step and a hand-edited target line, while the README says XXMI loads the required files and libraries automatically. If your goal is to run mods rather than write them, XXMI removes the configuration work that GIMI's install section walks through.

Plain upstream 3DMigoto is the other comparison, and it is the more interesting one. GIMI is described as a version of 3DMigoto modified to be compatible with Genshin, so the fork exists to add game-specific handling plus the Blender plugin that reads and writes Genshin's mesh format. Upstream 3DMigoto has no reason to know about that format. If you are modding a different DirectX game, GIMI's additions are dead weight and upstream is the right starting point.

Licence, maintenance and upgrade cost

The repository is GPL-3.0. The README adds a separate request on top of the licence: you may use or modify any of the scripts, but the author asks for credit if you use them in your own projects. For anyone repackaging GIMI tooling, that means the GPL obligations apply and the attribution request should be honoured as a matter of practice. This is a description of what the repository states, not legal advice.

The latest release listed is v7.0 from 2023-05-06, following V6.0 and v5.0 in 2022. The last push to the repository was on 2026-09-04, so the code has moved since the last tagged release. Treat the release tags and the current tree as different things.

Upgrade cost is front-loaded. Because standalone GIMI is deprecated, a new setup is really an XXMI setup plus the GIMI Blender add-on for authoring. Existing users on v7 or below who edit d3dx.ini by hand should expect that configuration to become irrelevant if they migrate. The .gitmodules entry at the top level indicates submodules are in play, so a plain archive download will not give you everything a clone would.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt GIMI if you already run a private Genshin server and want a documented, script-heavy toolchain for authoring and loading custom meshes; the guides and the Blender add-on are still the reference material even though the standalone loader is deprecated. Do not adopt it for official servers, and do not start a new setup on the standalone zips when the README points at XXMI. Before committing, check that the Blender add-on imports and exports cleanly on your Blender version, and confirm the d3dx.ini target line resolves to GenshinImpact.exe rather than the launcher.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. License: GPL-3.0
2. Project website
3. README
4. Releases
5. SilentNightSound/GI-Model-Importer on GitHub