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# Stored entities

Manage entities that you store as assets on disk.

## Overview

If you bundle 3D assets with your app, or download them from the network into local
file storage, you need a way to load them at runtime. RealityKit provides a collection
of methods that you use to load USD and Reality files into [`Entity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity)
instances.

## Topics

### Essentials

[Loading entities from a file](/documentation/RealityKit/loading-entities-from-a-file)

Retrieve an entity from storage on disk using a synchronous or an asynchronous load
operation.

[`class LoadRequest`](/documentation/RealityKit/LoadRequest)

A resource loader that acts as a publisher.

### Loading an entity hierarchy

[`static func load(named: String, in: Bundle?) throws -> Entity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/load(named:in:))

Returns an entity by synchronously loading it from a bundle.

[`static func load(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) throws -> Entity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/load(contentsOf:withName:))

Returns an entity by synchronously loading it from a file URL.

[`static func loadAsync(named: String, in: Bundle?) -> LoadRequest<Entity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAsync(named:in:))

Returns a load request that creates an entity by asynchronously loading it from a bundle.

[`static func loadAsync(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) -> LoadRequest<Entity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAsync(contentsOf:withName:))

Returns a load request that creates an entity by asynchronously loading
it from a file URL and preserving the entity’s hierarchy.

### Loading an anchor entity

[`static func loadAnchor(named: String, in: Bundle?) throws -> AnchorEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAnchor(named:in:))

Synchronously loads an anchor entity from a bundle.

[`static func loadAnchor(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) throws -> AnchorEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAnchor(contentsOf:withName:))

Synchronously loads an anchor entity from a file URL.

[`static func loadAnchorAsync(named: String, in: Bundle?) -> LoadRequest<AnchorEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAnchorAsync(named:in:))

Asynchronously loads an anchor entity from a bundle.

[`static func loadAnchorAsync(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) -> LoadRequest<AnchorEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadAnchorAsync(contentsOf:withName:))

Asynchronously loads an anchor entity from a file URL.

### Loading a flattened model entity

[`static func loadModel(named: String, in: Bundle?) throws -> ModelEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadModel(named:in:))

Synchronously loads a model entity from a bundle.

[`static func loadModel(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) throws -> ModelEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadModel(contentsOf:withName:))

Synchronously loads a model entity from a file URL.

[`static func loadModelAsync(named: String, in: Bundle?) -> LoadRequest<ModelEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadModelAsync(named:in:))

Asynchronously loads a model entity from a bundle.

[`static func loadModelAsync(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) -> LoadRequest<ModelEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadModelAsync(contentsOf:withName:))

Returns a load request that creates a model entity by asynchronously loading
it from a file URL and flattening the model entity’s hierarchy.

### Loading a flattened body-tracked entity

[`static func loadBodyTracked(named: String, in: Bundle?) throws -> BodyTrackedEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadBodyTracked(named:in:))

Synchronously loads a body-tracked entity from a bundle.

[`static func loadBodyTracked(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) throws -> BodyTrackedEntity`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadBodyTracked(contentsOf:withName:))

Synchronously loads a body-tracked entity from a file URL.

[`static func loadBodyTrackedAsync(contentsOf: URL, withName: String?) -> LoadRequest<BodyTrackedEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadBodyTrackedAsync(contentsOf:withName:))

Asynchronously loads a body-tracked entity from a file URL.

[`static func loadBodyTrackedAsync(named: String, in: Bundle?) -> LoadRequest<BodyTrackedEntity>`](/documentation/RealityKit/Entity/loadBodyTrackedAsync(named:in:))

Asynchronously loads a body-tracked entity from a bundle.


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