diff --git a/src/assets/Assets.hpp b/src/assets/Assets.hpp
index 8338eb7e..fd39e8fe 100644
--- a/src/assets/Assets.hpp
+++ b/src/assets/Assets.hpp
@@ -13,14 +13,6 @@
 
 class Assets;
 
-namespace audio {
-    class Sound;
-}
-
-namespace model {
-    struct Model;
-}
-
 namespace assetload {
     /// @brief final work to do in the main thread
     using postfunc = std::function<void(Assets*)>;
diff --git a/src/assets/AssetsLoader.cpp b/src/assets/AssetsLoader.cpp
index bf0ac243..65f52da7 100644
--- a/src/assets/AssetsLoader.cpp
+++ b/src/assets/AssetsLoader.cpp
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ AssetsLoader::AssetsLoader(Assets* assets, const ResPaths* paths)
     addLoader(AssetType::atlas, assetload::atlas);
     addLoader(AssetType::layout, assetload::layout);
     addLoader(AssetType::sound, assetload::sound);
+    addLoader(AssetType::model, assetload::model);
 }
 
 void AssetsLoader::addLoader(AssetType tag, aloader_func func) {
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ static std::string assets_def_folder(AssetType tag) {
         case AssetType::atlas: return TEXTURES_FOLDER;
         case AssetType::layout: return LAYOUTS_FOLDER;
         case AssetType::sound: return SOUNDS_FOLDER;
+        case AssetType::model: return MODELS_FOLDER;
     }
     return "<error>";
 }
@@ -155,6 +157,7 @@ void AssetsLoader::processPreloadConfig(const fs::path& file) {
     processPreloadList(AssetType::shader, root->list("shaders"));
     processPreloadList(AssetType::texture, root->list("textures"));
     processPreloadList(AssetType::sound, root->list("sounds"));
+    processPreloadList(AssetType::model, root->list("models"));
     // layouts are loaded automatically
 }
 
diff --git a/src/assets/AssetsLoader.hpp b/src/assets/AssetsLoader.hpp
index b2d81916..91eb1036 100644
--- a/src/assets/AssetsLoader.hpp
+++ b/src/assets/AssetsLoader.hpp
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ enum class AssetType {
     font,
     atlas,
     layout,
-    sound
+    sound,
+    model,
 };
 
 class ResPaths;
diff --git a/src/assets/assetload_funcs.cpp b/src/assets/assetload_funcs.cpp
index 8698d61f..4a85cb94 100644
--- a/src/assets/assetload_funcs.cpp
+++ b/src/assets/assetload_funcs.cpp
@@ -9,14 +9,17 @@
 #include "../coders/commons.hpp"
 #include "../coders/imageio.hpp"
 #include "../coders/json.hpp"
+#include "../coders/obj.hpp"
 #include "../coders/GLSLExtension.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/Shader.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/Texture.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/ImageData.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/Atlas.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/Font.hpp"
+#include "../graphics/core/Model.hpp"
 #include "../graphics/core/TextureAnimation.hpp"
 #include "../frontend/UiDocument.hpp"
+#include "../constants.hpp"
 
 #include <iostream>
 #include <stdexcept>
@@ -198,6 +201,30 @@ assetload::postfunc assetload::sound(
     };
 }
 
+assetload::postfunc assetload::model(
+    AssetsLoader* loader,
+    const ResPaths* paths,
+    const std::string& file,
+    const std::string& name,
+    const std::shared_ptr<AssetCfg>&
+) {
+    auto path = paths->find(file+".obj");
+    auto text = files::read_string(path);
+    try {
+        auto model = obj::parse(path.u8string(), text).release();
+        return [=](Assets* assets) {
+            for (auto& mesh : model->meshes) {
+                auto filename = TEXTURES_FOLDER+"/"+mesh.texture;
+                loader->add(AssetType::texture, filename, mesh.texture, nullptr);
+            }
+            assets->store(std::unique_ptr<model::Model>(model), name);
+        };
+    } catch (const parsing_error& err) {
+        std::cerr << err.errorLog() << std::endl;
+        throw;
+    }
+}
+
 static void read_anim_file(
     const std::string& animFile,
     std::vector<std::pair<std::string, int>>& frameList
diff --git a/src/assets/assetload_funcs.hpp b/src/assets/assetload_funcs.hpp
index f017dcb4..71b3cb93 100644
--- a/src/assets/assetload_funcs.hpp
+++ b/src/assets/assetload_funcs.hpp
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ namespace assetload {
         const std::string &name,
         const std::shared_ptr<AssetCfg>& settings
     );
-
     postfunc sound(
         AssetsLoader*,
         const ResPaths* paths,
@@ -57,6 +56,13 @@ namespace assetload {
         const std::string &name,
         const std::shared_ptr<AssetCfg>& settings
     );
+    postfunc model(
+        AssetsLoader*,
+        const ResPaths* paths,
+        const std::string& file,
+        const std::string &name,
+        const std::shared_ptr<AssetCfg>& settings
+    );
 }
 
 #endif // ASSETS_ASSET_LOADERS_HPP_
diff --git a/src/constants.hpp b/src/constants.hpp
index e666563a..76c13a74 100644
--- a/src/constants.hpp
+++ b/src/constants.hpp
@@ -49,5 +49,6 @@ inline const std::string TEXTURES_FOLDER = "textures";
 inline const std::string FONTS_FOLDER = "fonts";
 inline const std::string LAYOUTS_FOLDER = "layouts";
 inline const std::string SOUNDS_FOLDER = "sounds";
+inline const std::string MODELS_FOLDER = "models";
 
 #endif // CONSTANTS_HPP_
diff --git a/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.cpp b/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.cpp
index 99aef358..abbfc073 100644
--- a/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.cpp
+++ b/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.cpp
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ ModelBatch::ModelBatch(size_t capacity, Assets* assets, Chunks* chunks)
 ModelBatch::~ModelBatch() {
 }
 
-void ModelBatch::draw(const model::Model& model) {
+void ModelBatch::draw(const model::Model* model) {
     glm::vec3 gpos = combined * glm::vec4(glm::vec3(), 1.0f);
     light_t light = chunks->getLight(gpos.x, gpos.y, gpos.z);
     glm::vec4 lights (
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ void ModelBatch::draw(const model::Model& model) {
         Lightmap::extract(light, 2) / 15.0f,
         Lightmap::extract(light, 3) / 15.0f
     );
-    for (const auto& mesh : model.meshes) {
+    for (const auto& mesh : model->meshes) {
         auto texture = assets->get<Texture>(mesh.texture);
         if (texture) {
             texture->bind();
diff --git a/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.hpp b/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.hpp
index 67b367f5..8b949227 100644
--- a/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.hpp
+++ b/src/graphics/render/ModelBatch.hpp
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public:
 
     void box(glm::vec3 pos, glm::vec3 size, glm::vec4 lights);
 
-    void draw(const model::Model& model);
+    void draw(const model::Model* model);
 
     void flush();
 };