When you generate 3D assets through the Meshy API, each task result is stored temporarily on Meshy's servers. Understanding the retention window helps you plan your integration and ensures you download outputs before they expire.
Asset Retention by Task Type
Retention periods vary by task type:
Task Type | Retention Period |
Text to 3D | 3 days after task completes |
Image to 3D | 3 days after task completes |
Rigging | 2 months after task completes |
Text to 3D and Image to 3D
Tasks and their outputs — model files, preview images, and textures — are retained for 3 days from the time the task completes. After this window, the task and all associated download URLs will no longer be accessible.
Every API task response includes an expires_at field (Unix timestamp in milliseconds) indicating exactly when the task will be deleted:
{
"id": "01abc123-...",
"status": "SUCCEEDED",
"expires_at": 1777029052743,
"result": {
"model_urls": { ... }
}
}
Monitor this value in your integration and trigger downloads before it elapses.
Rigging Tasks
Rigging tasks are retained for 2 months after completion. This extended window allows you to continue adding new animations to the same rigged character using the original rig task ID — without having to re-rig the mesh.
To animate an existing rig, reference the rig task ID in your animation request at any point within the 2-month retention window.
Retrieving Your Assets
To access API-generated assets before they expire:
Download immediately. As soon as a task reaches
SUCCEEDEDstatus, download the output files (GLB, FBX, OBJ, etc.) to your own storage.Use the list tasks endpoint. Retrieve recent task IDs and output URLs via the Text to 3D or Image to 3D list API endpoints.
FAQ
1.Why isn't my API-generated model showing up in my workspace?
This is expected behavior. API-generated assets do not appear in the Meshy Workspace UI. This is by design — the API and Workspace have separate asset lifecycles with different expiration rules.
2.Why does my task urls return 404?
If the task's expires_at timestamp has passed, the asset has been deleted from Meshy's servers. You will need to re-submit the generation task. To avoid this in future, set up automatic downloads to your own storage as soon as tasks succeed.
3.Can I add new animations to a character after the rig task expires?
Rigging tasks are available for 2 months, giving you a generous window to continue adding animations. If the rig task has expired (older than 2 months), you will need to re-rig the original mesh.
Note: Meshy does not guarantee skeleton compatibility between separate rigging runs.