diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footer.tsx b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footer.tsx
index ee7b04b9ce61..bf4a532395d1 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footer.tsx
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footer.tsx
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ import babylonIdentity from "../img/babylon-identity.svg";
 import iconEdit from "../img/icon-edit.svg";
 import iconOpen from "../img/icon-open.svg";
 import iconIBL from "../img/icon-ibl.svg";
+import iconOpenPBR from "../img/icon-openpbr.png";
 import iconCameras from "../img/icon-cameras.svg";
 import iconVariants from "../img/icon-variants.svg";
+import { LocalStorageHelper } from "../tools/localStorageHelper";
 
 interface IFooterProps {
     globalState: GlobalState;
@@ -74,6 +76,17 @@ export class Footer extends React.Component<IFooterProps, IFooterState> {
         return this.props.globalState?.glTFLoaderExtensions["KHR_materials_variants"] as KHR_materials_variants;
     }
 
+    private _toggleUseOpenPBR(): void {
+        this.props.globalState.useOpenPBR = !this.props.globalState.useOpenPBR;
+        LocalStorageHelper.SetUseOpenPBR(this.props.globalState.useOpenPBR);
+
+        if (this.props.globalState.currentScene) {
+            this.props.globalState.onRequestSceneReload.notifyObservers();
+        }
+
+        this.forceUpdate();
+    }
+
     override render() {
         let variantNames: string[] = [];
         let hasVariants = false;
@@ -151,6 +164,14 @@ export class Footer extends React.Component<IFooterProps, IFooterState> {
                         enabled={!!this.props.globalState.currentScene}
                         searchPlaceholder="Search environment"
                     />
+                    <FooterButton
+                        globalState={this.props.globalState}
+                        icon={iconOpenPBR}
+                        label="Toggle OpenPBR for glTF loading"
+                        onClick={() => this._toggleUseOpenPBR()}
+                        enabled={true}
+                        active={this.props.globalState.useOpenPBR}
+                    />
                     <FooterButton
                         globalState={this.props.globalState}
                         icon={iconEdit}
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footerButton.tsx b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footerButton.tsx
index f941709831c3..9b4f1a23504f 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footerButton.tsx
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/footerButton.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ interface IFooterButtonProps {
     onClick: () => void;
     icon: any;
     label: string;
+    active?: boolean;
 }
 
 export class FooterButton extends React.Component<IFooterButtonProps> {
@@ -16,7 +17,7 @@ export class FooterButton extends React.Component<IFooterButtonProps> {
         }
 
         return (
-            <div className="button" onClick={() => this.props.onClick()}>
+            <div className={"button" + (this.props.active ? " active" : "")} onClick={() => this.props.onClick()}>
                 <img src={this.props.icon} alt={this.props.label} title={this.props.label} />
             </div>
         );
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/renderingZone.tsx b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/renderingZone.tsx
index 680ee48f175c..d255060703cf 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/renderingZone.tsx
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/components/renderingZone.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { PBRMaterial } from "core/Materials/PBR/pbrMaterial";
 import { type AbstractEngine } from "core/Engines/abstractEngine";
 import { setOpenGLOrientationForUV, useOpenGLOrientationForUV } from "core/Compat/compatibilityOptions";
 import { ImageProcessingConfiguration } from "core/Materials/imageProcessingConfiguration";
+import { type Observer } from "core/Misc/observable";
 
 function GetFileExtension(str: string): string {
     return str.split(".").pop() || "";
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ export class RenderingZone extends React.Component<IRenderingZoneProps> {
     private _scene: Scene;
     private _canvas: HTMLCanvasElement;
     private _restoreInspector = false;
+    private _onRequestSceneReloadObserver: Observer<void> | null = null;
 
     public constructor(props: IRenderingZoneProps) {
         super(props);
@@ -120,10 +122,7 @@ export class RenderingZone extends React.Component<IRenderingZoneProps> {
                 }
             },
             () => {
-                // Ensure we stop any existing render loop when reloading, because if there was a previous scene loaded from the URL
-                // the filesInput will not know about it, and so it won't call stopRenderLoop.
-                this._engine.stopRenderLoop();
-                filesInput.reload();
+                this._reloadCurrentAsset();
             },
             (file, scene, message) => {
                 this.props.globalState.onError.notifyObservers({ message: message });
@@ -180,15 +179,30 @@ export class RenderingZone extends React.Component<IRenderingZoneProps> {
         window.addEventListener("keydown", (event) => {
             // Press R to reload
             if (event.keyCode === 82 && event.target && (event.target as HTMLElement).nodeName !== "INPUT" && this._scene) {
-                if (this.props.globalState.assetUrl) {
-                    this.loadAssetFromUrl(this.props.globalState.assetUrl);
-                } else {
-                    filesInput.reload();
-                }
+                this._reloadCurrentAsset();
+            }
+        });
+
+        this._onRequestSceneReloadObserver = this.props.globalState.onRequestSceneReload.add(() => {
+            if (this._scene) {
+                this._reloadCurrentAsset();
             }
         });
     }
 
+    private _reloadCurrentAsset(): void {
+        // Ensure we stop any existing render loop when reloading, because if there was a previous scene loaded from the URL
+        // filesInput will not know about it, and so it won't call stopRenderLoop.
+        this._engine.stopRenderLoop();
+
+        if (this.props.globalState.assetUrl) {
+            this.loadAssetFromUrl(this.props.globalState.assetUrl);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        this.props.globalState.filesInput.reload();
+    }
+
     prepareCamera() {
         let camera = this._scene.activeCamera as ArcRotateCamera;
         // Attach camera to canvas inputs
@@ -420,6 +434,7 @@ export class RenderingZone extends React.Component<IRenderingZoneProps> {
             if (this._currentPluginName === "gltf") {
                 const loader = plugin as GLTFFileLoader;
                 loader.transparencyAsCoverage = this.props.globalState.commerceMode;
+                loader.useOpenPBR = this.props.globalState.useOpenPBR;
 
                 loader.validate = true;
 
@@ -438,6 +453,13 @@ export class RenderingZone extends React.Component<IRenderingZoneProps> {
         this.initEngine();
     }
 
+    public override componentWillUnmount(): void {
+        if (this._onRequestSceneReloadObserver) {
+            this.props.globalState.onRequestSceneReload.remove(this._onRequestSceneReloadObserver);
+            this._onRequestSceneReloadObserver = null;
+        }
+    }
+
     override shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps: IRenderingZoneProps) {
         if (nextProps.expanded !== this.props.expanded) {
             setTimeout(() => this._engine.resize());
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/custom.d.ts b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/custom.d.ts
index 874e0cd2ce2e..d07584256e63 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/custom.d.ts
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/custom.d.ts
@@ -2,3 +2,13 @@ declare module "*.svg" {
     const content: string;
     export default content;
 }
+
+declare module "*.scss" {
+    const content: string;
+    export default content;
+}
+
+declare module "*.png" {
+    const content: string;
+    export default content;
+}
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/globalState.ts b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/globalState.ts
index 795a3f15a56a..88dbb1a49018 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/globalState.ts
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/globalState.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ export class GlobalState {
     public onEnvironmentChanged = new Observable<string>();
     public onRequestClickInterceptor = new Observable<void>();
     public onClickInterceptorClicked = new Observable<void>();
+    public onRequestSceneReload = new Observable<void>();
     public glTFLoaderExtensions: { [key: string]: import("loaders/glTF/index").IGLTFLoaderExtension } = {};
     public onFilesInputReady = new Observable<void>();
 
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ export class GlobalState {
     public isDebugLayerEnabled = false;
 
     public commerceMode = false;
+    public useOpenPBR = false;
 
     public assetUrl?: string;
     public autoRotate = false;
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/img/icon-openpbr.png b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/img/icon-openpbr.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5d4d731bc652
Binary files /dev/null and b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/img/icon-openpbr.png differ
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/sandbox.tsx b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/sandbox.tsx
index f1dfe9ad97eb..49358bcdd1a3 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/sandbox.tsx
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/sandbox.tsx
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ export class Sandbox extends React.Component<
     public constructor(props: ISandboxProps) {
         super(props);
         this._globalState = new GlobalState({ version: props.version, bundles: props.bundles });
+        this._globalState.useOpenPBR = LocalStorageHelper.GetUseOpenPBR();
         this._logoRef = React.createRef();
         this._dropTextRef = React.createRef();
         this._clickInterceptorRef = React.createRef();
diff --git a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/tools/localStorageHelper.ts b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/tools/localStorageHelper.ts
index 952492cb0e7a..139222f93e51 100644
--- a/packages/tools/sandbox/src/tools/localStorageHelper.ts
+++ b/packages/tools/sandbox/src/tools/localStorageHelper.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const WelcomeDialogDismissedKey = "WelcomeDialogDismissed";
+const UseOpenPBRKey = "UseOpenPBR";
 
 export class LocalStorageHelper {
     public static ReadLocalStorageValue(key: string, defaultValue: number) {
@@ -30,4 +31,20 @@ export class LocalStorageHelper {
     public static ClearWelcomeDialogDismissed(): void {
         localStorage.removeItem(WelcomeDialogDismissedKey);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Sets whether glTF loading should force OpenPBR materials.
+     * @param value The value to persist.
+     */
+    public static SetUseOpenPBR(value: boolean): void {
+        localStorage.setItem(UseOpenPBRKey, value ? "true" : "false");
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Gets whether glTF loading should force OpenPBR materials.
+     * @returns true when OpenPBR mode is enabled.
+     */
+    public static GetUseOpenPBR(): boolean {
+        return localStorage.getItem(UseOpenPBRKey) === "true";
+    }
 }