diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index fbad66bf55..bf5fcc5b20 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@
 #include <MainWindow.h>
 #include <MappingRequest.h>
 #include <MessagesClient.h>
+#include <hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h>
 #include <model-networking/ModelCacheScriptingInterface.h>
 #include <model-networking/TextureCacheScriptingInterface.h>
 #include <ModelEntityItem.h>
@@ -830,6 +831,7 @@ bool setupEssentials(int& argc, char** argv, bool runningMarkerExisted) {
     DependencyManager::set<NodeList>(NodeType::Agent, listenPort);
     DependencyManager::set<recording::ClipCache>();
     DependencyManager::set<GeometryCache>();
+    DependencyManager::set<ModelFormatRegistry>(); // ModelFormatRegistry must be defined before ModelCache. See the ModelCache constructor.
     DependencyManager::set<ModelCache>();
     DependencyManager::set<ModelCacheScriptingInterface>();
     DependencyManager::set<ScriptCache>();
@@ -2690,6 +2692,7 @@ Application::~Application() {
     DependencyManager::destroy<TextureCache>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<ModelCacheScriptingInterface>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<ModelCache>();
+    DependencyManager::destroy<ModelFormatRegistry>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<ScriptCache>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<SoundCacheScriptingInterface>();
     DependencyManager::destroy<SoundCache>();
diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.cpp b/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.cpp
index ec26782d0e..f7a7dd861a 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.cpp
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <Profile.h>
 
 #include "AnimationLogging.h"
+#include <FBXSerializer.h>
 
 int animationPointerMetaTypeId = qRegisterMetaType<AnimationPointer>();
 
diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.h b/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.h
index d4574d9d3b..2f8168625e 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.h
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/AnimationCache.h
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 #include <QtScript/QScriptValue>
 
 #include <DependencyManager.h>
-#include <FBXSerializer.h>
+#include <hfm/HFM.h>
 #include <ResourceCache.h>
 
 class Animation;
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.cpp b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.cpp
index 67220342b8..b425b6795d 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.cpp
@@ -1854,6 +1854,17 @@ HFMModel* FBXSerializer::extractHFMModel(const QVariantHash& mapping, const QStr
     return hfmModelPtr;
 }
 
+MediaType FBXSerializer::getMediaType() const {
+    MediaType mediaType("fbx");
+    mediaType.extensions.push_back("fbx");
+    mediaType.fileSignatures.emplace_back("Kaydara FBX Binary  \x00", 0);
+    return mediaType;
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> FBXSerializer::getFactory() const {
+    return std::make_unique<hfm::Serializer::SimpleFactory<FBXSerializer>>();
+}
+
 HFMModel::Pointer FBXSerializer::read(const QByteArray& data, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& url) {
     QBuffer buffer(const_cast<QByteArray*>(&data));
     buffer.open(QIODevice::ReadOnly);
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.h b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.h
index c69f75cc5c..a76fb8f9bf 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.h
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXSerializer.h
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ class ExtractedMesh;
 
 class FBXSerializer : public HFMSerializer {
 public:
+    MediaType getMediaType() const override;
+    std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> getFactory() const override;
+
     HFMModel* _hfmModel;
     /// Reads HFMModel from the supplied model and mapping data.
     /// \exception QString if an error occurs in parsing
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.cpp b/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.cpp
index 28d377c605..e254a91eb0 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.cpp
@@ -35,11 +35,6 @@
 
 #include "FBXSerializer.h"
 
-
-GLTFSerializer::GLTFSerializer() {
-
-}
-
 bool GLTFSerializer::getStringVal(const QJsonObject& object, const QString& fieldname,
                               QString& value, QMap<QString, bool>&  defined) {
     bool _defined = (object.contains(fieldname) && object[fieldname].isString());
@@ -910,6 +905,17 @@ bool GLTFSerializer::buildGeometry(HFMModel& hfmModel, const QUrl& url) {
     return true;
 }
 
+MediaType GLTFSerializer::getMediaType() const {
+    MediaType mediaType("gltf");
+    mediaType.extensions.push_back("gltf");
+    mediaType.webMediaTypes.push_back("model/gltf+json");
+    return mediaType;
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> GLTFSerializer::getFactory() const {
+    return std::make_unique<hfm::Serializer::SimpleFactory<GLTFSerializer>>();
+}
+
 HFMModel::Pointer GLTFSerializer::read(const QByteArray& data, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& url) {
     
     _url = url;
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.h b/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.h
index 1ec1183e36..5fca77c4fd 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.h
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/GLTFSerializer.h
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 #include <QtNetwork/QNetworkReply>
 #include <hfm/ModelFormatLogging.h>
 #include <hfm/HFMSerializer.h>
-#include "FBXSerializer.h"
 
 
 struct GLTFAsset {
@@ -703,7 +702,9 @@ struct GLTFFile {
 class GLTFSerializer : public QObject, public HFMSerializer {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
-    GLTFSerializer();
+    MediaType getMediaType() const override;
+    std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> getFactory() const override;
+
     HFMModel::Pointer read(const QByteArray& data, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& url = QUrl()) override;
 private:
     GLTFFile _file;
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.cpp b/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.cpp
index af8dfb5562..9c92466565 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.cpp
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.cpp
@@ -651,6 +651,15 @@ done:
     return result;
 }
 
+MediaType OBJSerializer::getMediaType() const {
+    MediaType mediaType("obj");
+    mediaType.extensions.push_back("obj");
+    return mediaType;
+}
+
+std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> OBJSerializer::getFactory() const {
+    return std::make_unique<hfm::Serializer::SimpleFactory<OBJSerializer>>();
+}
 
 HFMModel::Pointer OBJSerializer::read(const QByteArray& data, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& url) {
     PROFILE_RANGE_EX(resource_parse, __FUNCTION__, 0xffff0000, nullptr);
diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.h b/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.h
index a6fe3817ca..c4f8025e66 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.h
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/OBJSerializer.h
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 
 #include <QtNetwork/QNetworkReply>
 #include <hfm/HFMSerializer.h>
-#include "FBXSerializer.h"
 
 class OBJTokenizer {
 public:
@@ -92,6 +91,9 @@ public:
 class OBJSerializer: public QObject, public HFMSerializer { // QObject so we can make network requests.
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
+    MediaType getMediaType() const override;
+    std::unique_ptr<hfm::Serializer::Factory> getFactory() const override;
+    
     typedef QVector<OBJFace> FaceGroup;
     QVector<glm::vec3> vertices;
     QVector<glm::vec3> vertexColors;
diff --git a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.cpp b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1328369cff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+//
+//  HFMFormatRegistry.cpp
+//  libraries/hfm/src/hfm
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/29.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#include "HFMFormatRegistry.h"
+
+namespace hfm {
+
+FormatRegistry::MediaTypeID FormatRegistry::registerMediaType(const MediaType& mediaType, std::unique_ptr<Serializer::Factory> supportedFactory) {
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(_libraryLock);
+
+    MediaTypeID id = _mediaTypeLibrary.registerMediaType(mediaType);
+    _supportedFormats.emplace_back(id, supportedFactory);
+    return id;
+}
+
+void FormatRegistry::unregisterMediaType(const MediaTypeID& mediaTypeID) {
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(_libraryLock);
+
+    for (auto it = _supportedFormats.begin(); it != _supportedFormats.end(); it++) {
+        if ((*it).mediaTypeID == mediaTypeID) {
+            _supportedFormats.erase(it);
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    _mediaTypeLibrary.unregisterMediaType(mediaTypeID);
+}
+
+std::shared_ptr<Serializer> FormatRegistry::getSerializerForMediaTypeID(FormatRegistry::MediaTypeID mediaTypeID) const {
+    // TODO: shared_lock in C++14
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(*const_cast<std::mutex*>(&_libraryLock));
+
+    for (auto it = _supportedFormats.begin(); it != _supportedFormats.end(); it++) {
+        if ((*it).mediaTypeID == mediaTypeID) {
+            return (*it).factory->get();
+        }
+    }
+    return std::shared_ptr<Serializer>();
+}
+
+std::shared_ptr<Serializer> FormatRegistry::getSerializerForMediaType(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const {
+    MediaTypeID id;
+    {
+        // TODO: shared_lock in C++14
+        std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(*const_cast<std::mutex*>(&_libraryLock));
+
+        id = _mediaTypeLibrary.findMediaTypeForData(data);
+        if (id == INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE_ID) {
+            id = _mediaTypeLibrary.findMediaTypeForURL(url);
+            if (id == INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE_ID) {
+                id = _mediaTypeLibrary.findMediaTypeForWebID(webMediaType);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    return getSerializerForMediaTypeID(id);
+}
+
+};
diff --git a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.h b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a437e9ac37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMFormatRegistry.h
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+//
+//  HFMFormatRegistry.h
+//  libraries/hfm/src/hfm
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/28.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#ifndef hifi_HFMFormatRegistry_h
+#define hifi_HFMFormatRegistry_h
+
+#include "HFMSerializer.h"
+#include <shared/MediaTypeLibrary.h>
+#include <shared/ReadWriteLockable.h>
+
+namespace hfm {
+
+class FormatRegistry {
+public:
+    using MediaTypeID = MediaTypeLibrary::ID;
+    static const MediaTypeID INVALID_MEDIA_TYPE_ID { MediaTypeLibrary::INVALID_ID };
+
+    MediaTypeID registerMediaType(const MediaType& mediaType, std::unique_ptr<Serializer::Factory> supportedFactory);
+    void unregisterMediaType(const MediaTypeID& id);
+
+    std::shared_ptr<Serializer> getSerializerForMediaType(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const;
+
+protected:
+    std::shared_ptr<Serializer> getSerializerForMediaTypeID(MediaTypeID id) const;
+
+    MediaTypeLibrary _mediaTypeLibrary;
+    std::mutex _libraryLock;
+    class SupportedFormat {
+    public:
+        SupportedFormat(const MediaTypeID& mediaTypeID, std::unique_ptr<Serializer::Factory>& factory) :
+            mediaTypeID(mediaTypeID),
+            factory(std::move(factory)) {
+        }
+        MediaTypeID mediaTypeID;
+        std::unique_ptr<Serializer::Factory> factory;
+    };
+    std::vector<SupportedFormat> _supportedFormats;
+};
+
+};
+
+#endif // hifi_HFMFormatRegistry_h
diff --git a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMSerializer.h b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMSerializer.h
index db18f21e06..868ec3dd45 100644
--- a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMSerializer.h
+++ b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/HFMSerializer.h
@@ -15,10 +15,27 @@
 #include <shared/HifiTypes.h>
 
 #include "HFM.h"
+#include <shared/MediaTypeLibrary.h>
 
 namespace hfm {
 
 class Serializer {
+public:
+    class Factory {
+    public:
+        virtual std::shared_ptr<Serializer> get() = 0;
+    };
+
+    template<typename T>
+    class SimpleFactory : public Factory {
+        std::shared_ptr<Serializer> get() override {
+            return std::make_shared<T>();
+        }
+    };
+
+    virtual MediaType getMediaType() const = 0;
+    virtual std::unique_ptr<Factory> getFactory() const = 0;
+
     virtual Model::Pointer read(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::VariantHash& mapping, const hifi::URL& url = hifi::URL()) = 0;
 };
 
diff --git a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.cpp b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d95453161a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+//
+//  ModelFormatRegistry.cpp
+//  libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/30.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#include "ModelFormatRegistry.h"
+
+void ModelFormatRegistry::addFormat(const hfm::Serializer& serializer) {
+    _hfmFormatRegistry.registerMediaType(serializer.getMediaType(), serializer.getFactory());
+}
+
+std::shared_ptr<hfm::Serializer> ModelFormatRegistry::getSerializerForMediaType(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const {
+    return _hfmFormatRegistry.getSerializerForMediaType(data, url, webMediaType);
+}
diff --git a/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1228465298
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/hfm/src/hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+//
+//  ModelFormatRegistry.h
+//  libraries/hfm/src/hfm
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/30.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#ifndef hifi_ModelFormatRegistry_h
+#define hifi_ModelFormatRegistry_h
+
+#include "HFMFormatRegistry.h"
+
+#include <DependencyManager.h>
+
+class ModelFormatRegistry : public Dependency {
+public:
+    void addFormat(const hfm::Serializer& serializer);
+    std::shared_ptr<hfm::Serializer> getSerializerForMediaType(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const;
+
+protected:
+    hfm::FormatRegistry _hfmFormatRegistry;
+};
+
+#endif // hifi_ModelFormatRegistry_h
diff --git a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
index 254f61eba9..dfee4750f5 100644
--- a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
+++ b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
@@ -12,9 +12,6 @@
 #include "ModelCache.h"
 #include <Finally.h>
 #include <FSTReader.h>
-#include "FBXSerializer.h"
-#include "OBJSerializer.h"
-#include "GLTFSerializer.h"
 
 #include <gpu/Batch.h>
 #include <gpu/Stream.h>
@@ -26,6 +23,10 @@
 #include "ModelNetworkingLogging.h"
 #include <Trace.h>
 #include <StatTracker.h>
+#include <hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h>
+#include <FBXSerializer.h>
+#include <OBJSerializer.h>
+#include <GLTFSerializer.h>
 
 Q_LOGGING_CATEGORY(trace_resource_parse_geometry, "trace.resource.parse.geometry")
 
@@ -144,9 +145,9 @@ void GeometryMappingResource::onGeometryMappingLoaded(bool success) {
 
 class GeometryReader : public QRunnable {
 public:
-    GeometryReader(QWeakPointer<Resource>& resource, const QUrl& url, const QVariantHash& mapping,
-                   const QByteArray& data, bool combineParts) :
-        _resource(resource), _url(url), _mapping(mapping), _data(data), _combineParts(combineParts) {
+    GeometryReader(const ModelLoader& modelLoader, QWeakPointer<Resource>& resource, const QUrl& url, const QVariantHash& mapping,
+                   const QByteArray& data, bool combineParts, const QString& webMediaType) :
+        _modelLoader(modelLoader), _resource(resource), _url(url), _mapping(mapping), _data(data), _combineParts(combineParts), _webMediaType(webMediaType) {
 
         DependencyManager::get<StatTracker>()->incrementStat("PendingProcessing");
     }
@@ -154,11 +155,13 @@ public:
     virtual void run() override;
 
 private:
+    ModelLoader _modelLoader;
     QWeakPointer<Resource> _resource;
     QUrl _url;
     QVariantHash _mapping;
     QByteArray _data;
     bool _combineParts;
+    QString _webMediaType;
 };
 
 void GeometryReader::run() {
@@ -183,62 +186,53 @@ void GeometryReader::run() {
             throw QString("reply is NULL");
         }
 
-        QString urlname = _url.path().toLower();
-        if (!urlname.isEmpty() && !_url.path().isEmpty() &&
+        // Ensure the resource has not been deleted
+        auto resource = _resource.toStrongRef();
+        if (!resource) {
+            qCWarning(modelnetworking) << "Abandoning load of" << _url << "; could not get strong ref";
+            return;
+        }
 
-            (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".fbx") ||
-                _url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj") ||
-                _url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj.gz") ||
-                _url.path().toLower().endsWith(".gltf"))) {
-
-            HFMModel::Pointer hfmModel;
-
-            QVariantHash serializerMapping = _mapping;
-            serializerMapping["combineParts"] = _combineParts;
-
-            if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".fbx")) {
-                hfmModel = FBXSerializer().read(_data, serializerMapping, _url);
-                if (hfmModel->meshes.size() == 0 && hfmModel->joints.size() == 0) {
-                    throw QString("empty geometry, possibly due to an unsupported FBX version");
-                }
-            } else if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj")) {
-                hfmModel = OBJSerializer().read(_data, serializerMapping, _url);
-            } else if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj.gz")) {
-                QByteArray uncompressedData;
-                if (gunzip(_data, uncompressedData)){
-                    hfmModel = OBJSerializer().read(uncompressedData, serializerMapping, _url);
-                } else {
-                    throw QString("failed to decompress .obj.gz");
-                }
-
-            } else if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".gltf")) {
-                hfmModel = GLTFSerializer().read(_data, serializerMapping, _url);
-                if (hfmModel->meshes.size() == 0 && hfmModel->joints.size() == 0) {
-                    throw QString("empty geometry, possibly due to an unsupported GLTF version");
-                }
-            } else {
-                throw QString("unsupported format");
-            }
-
-            // Add scripts to hfmModel
-            if (!_mapping.value(SCRIPT_FIELD).isNull()) {
-                QVariantList scripts = _mapping.values(SCRIPT_FIELD);
-                for (auto &script : scripts) {
-                    hfmModel->scripts.push_back(script.toString());
-                }
-            }
-
-            // Ensure the resource has not been deleted
-            auto resource = _resource.toStrongRef();
-            if (!resource) {
-                qCWarning(modelnetworking) << "Abandoning load of" << _url << "; could not get strong ref";
-            } else {
-                QMetaObject::invokeMethod(resource.data(), "setGeometryDefinition",
-                    Q_ARG(HFMModel::Pointer, hfmModel));
-            }
-        } else {
+        if (_url.path().isEmpty()) {
             throw QString("url is invalid");
         }
+
+        HFMModel::Pointer hfmModel;
+        QVariantHash serializerMapping = _mapping;
+        serializerMapping["combineParts"] = _combineParts;
+
+        if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".gz")) {
+            QByteArray uncompressedData;
+            if (!gunzip(_data, uncompressedData)) {
+                throw QString("failed to decompress .gz model");
+            }
+            // Strip the compression extension from the path, so the loader can infer the file type from what remains.
+            // This is okay because we don't expect the serializer to be able to read the contents of a compressed model file.
+            auto strippedUrl = _url;
+            strippedUrl.setPath(_url.path().left(_url.path().size() - 3));
+            hfmModel = _modelLoader.load(uncompressedData, serializerMapping, strippedUrl, "");
+        } else {
+            hfmModel = _modelLoader.load(_data, serializerMapping, _url, _webMediaType.toStdString());
+        }
+
+        if (!hfmModel) {
+            throw QString("unsupported format");
+        }
+
+        if (hfmModel->meshes.empty() || hfmModel->joints.empty()) {
+            throw QString("empty geometry, possibly due to an unsupported model version");
+        }
+
+        // Add scripts to hfmModel
+        if (!_mapping.value(SCRIPT_FIELD).isNull()) {
+            QVariantList scripts = _mapping.values(SCRIPT_FIELD);
+            for (auto &script : scripts) {
+                hfmModel->scripts.push_back(script.toString());
+            }
+        }
+
+        QMetaObject::invokeMethod(resource.data(), "setGeometryDefinition",
+                Q_ARG(HFMModel::Pointer, hfmModel));
     } catch (const std::exception&) {
         auto resource = _resource.toStrongRef();
         if (resource) {
@@ -258,8 +252,8 @@ void GeometryReader::run() {
 class GeometryDefinitionResource : public GeometryResource {
     Q_OBJECT
 public:
-    GeometryDefinitionResource(const QUrl& url, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& textureBaseUrl, bool combineParts) :
-        GeometryResource(url, resolveTextureBaseUrl(url, textureBaseUrl)), _mapping(mapping), _combineParts(combineParts) {}
+    GeometryDefinitionResource(const ModelLoader& modelLoader, const QUrl& url, const QVariantHash& mapping, const QUrl& textureBaseUrl, bool combineParts) :
+        GeometryResource(url, resolveTextureBaseUrl(url, textureBaseUrl)), _modelLoader(modelLoader), _mapping(mapping), _combineParts(combineParts) {}
 
     QString getType() const override { return "GeometryDefinition"; }
 
@@ -269,6 +263,7 @@ protected:
     Q_INVOKABLE void setGeometryDefinition(HFMModel::Pointer hfmModel);
 
 private:
+    ModelLoader _modelLoader;
     QVariantHash _mapping;
     bool _combineParts;
 };
@@ -278,7 +273,7 @@ void GeometryDefinitionResource::downloadFinished(const QByteArray& data) {
         _url = _effectiveBaseURL;
         _textureBaseUrl = _effectiveBaseURL;
     }
-    QThreadPool::globalInstance()->start(new GeometryReader(_self, _effectiveBaseURL, _mapping, data, _combineParts));
+    QThreadPool::globalInstance()->start(new GeometryReader(_modelLoader, _self, _effectiveBaseURL, _mapping, data, _combineParts, _request->getWebMediaType()));
 }
 
 void GeometryDefinitionResource::setGeometryDefinition(HFMModel::Pointer hfmModel) {
@@ -316,6 +311,11 @@ ModelCache::ModelCache() {
     const qint64 GEOMETRY_DEFAULT_UNUSED_MAX_SIZE = DEFAULT_UNUSED_MAX_SIZE;
     setUnusedResourceCacheSize(GEOMETRY_DEFAULT_UNUSED_MAX_SIZE);
     setObjectName("ModelCache");
+
+    auto modelFormatRegistry = DependencyManager::get<ModelFormatRegistry>();
+    modelFormatRegistry->addFormat(FBXSerializer());
+    modelFormatRegistry->addFormat(OBJSerializer());
+    modelFormatRegistry->addFormat(GLTFSerializer());
 }
 
 QSharedPointer<Resource> ModelCache::createResource(const QUrl& url, const QSharedPointer<Resource>& fallback,
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ QSharedPointer<Resource> ModelCache::createResource(const QUrl& url, const QShar
         auto mapping = geometryExtra ? geometryExtra->mapping : QVariantHash();
         auto textureBaseUrl = geometryExtra ? geometryExtra->textureBaseUrl : QUrl();
         bool combineParts = geometryExtra ? geometryExtra->combineParts : true;
-        resource = new GeometryDefinitionResource(url, mapping, textureBaseUrl, combineParts);
+        resource = new GeometryDefinitionResource(_modelLoader, url, mapping, textureBaseUrl, combineParts);
     }
 
     return QSharedPointer<Resource>(resource, &Resource::deleter);
diff --git a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.h b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.h
index 9d458e7512..1018bdecd5 100644
--- a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.h
+++ b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 #include "FBXSerializer.h"
 #include "TextureCache.h"
+#include "ModelLoader.h"
 
 // Alias instead of derive to avoid copying
 
@@ -158,6 +159,7 @@ protected:
 private:
     ModelCache();
     virtual ~ModelCache() = default;
+    ModelLoader _modelLoader;
 };
 
 class NetworkMaterial : public graphics::Material {
diff --git a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.cpp b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..65314633c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+//
+//  ModelLoader.cpp
+//  libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/14.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#include "ModelLoader.h"
+
+#include <DependencyManager.h>
+#include <hfm/ModelFormatRegistry.h>
+
+
+hfm::Model::Pointer ModelLoader::load(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::VariantHash& mapping, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const {
+    auto serializer = DependencyManager::get<ModelFormatRegistry>()->getSerializerForMediaType(data, url, webMediaType);
+    if (!serializer) {
+        return hfm::Model::Pointer();
+    }
+    return serializer->read(data, mapping, url);
+}
diff --git a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.h b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5fbab4fb65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelLoader.h
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+//
+//  ModelLoader.h
+//  libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/13.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#ifndef hifi_ModelLoader_h
+#define hifi_ModelLoader_h
+
+#include <shared/HifiTypes.h>
+#include <hfm/HFM.h>
+
+class ModelLoader {
+public:
+    // Given the currently stored list of supported file formats, determine how to load a model from the given parameters.
+    // If successful, return an owned reference to the newly loaded model.
+    // If failed, return an empty reference.
+    hfm::Model::Pointer load(const hifi::ByteArray& data, const hifi::VariantHash& mapping, const hifi::URL& url, const std::string& webMediaType) const;
+};
+
+#endif // hifi_ModelLoader_h
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/HTTPResourceRequest.cpp b/libraries/networking/src/HTTPResourceRequest.cpp
index e26f27adcf..50221a136a 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/HTTPResourceRequest.cpp
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/HTTPResourceRequest.cpp
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ void HTTPResourceRequest::onRequestFinished() {
     //   Content-Range: <unit> <range-start>-<range-end>/*
     //   Content-Range: <unit> */<size>
     //
-    auto parseContentRangeHeader = [](QString contentRangeHeader) -> std::pair<bool, uint64_t> {
+    static auto parseContentRangeHeader = [](QString contentRangeHeader) -> std::pair<bool, uint64_t> {
         auto unitRangeParts = contentRangeHeader.split(' ');
         if (unitRangeParts.size() != 2) {
             return { false, 0 };
@@ -115,6 +115,15 @@ void HTTPResourceRequest::onRequestFinished() {
         }
     };
 
+    static auto parseMediaType = [](QString contentTypeHeader) -> std::pair<bool, QString> {
+        auto contentTypeParts = contentTypeHeader.split(';');
+        if (contentTypeParts.size() < 1) {
+            return { false, "" };
+        }
+
+        return { true, contentTypeParts[0] };
+    };
+
     switch(_reply->error()) {
         case QNetworkReply::NoError:
             _data = _reply->readAll();
@@ -141,6 +150,16 @@ void HTTPResourceRequest::onRequestFinished() {
                 }
             }
 
+            {
+                auto contentTypeHeader = _reply->rawHeader("Content-Type");
+                bool success;
+                QString mediaType;
+                std::tie(success, mediaType) = parseMediaType(contentTypeHeader);
+                if (success) {
+                    _webMediaType = mediaType;
+                }
+            }
+
             recordBytesDownloadedInStats(STAT_HTTP_RESOURCE_TOTAL_BYTES, _data.size());
 
             break;
diff --git a/libraries/networking/src/ResourceRequest.h b/libraries/networking/src/ResourceRequest.h
index eb306ca5be..550294d79b 100644
--- a/libraries/networking/src/ResourceRequest.h
+++ b/libraries/networking/src/ResourceRequest.h
@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ public:
     bool loadedFromCache() const { return _loadedFromCache; }
     bool getRangeRequestSuccessful() const { return _rangeRequestSuccessful; }
     bool getTotalSizeOfResource() const { return _totalSizeOfResource; }
+    QString getWebMediaType() const { return _webMediaType; }
     void setFailOnRedirect(bool failOnRedirect) { _failOnRedirect = failOnRedirect; }
 
     void setCacheEnabled(bool value) { _cacheEnabled = value; }
@@ -111,6 +112,7 @@ protected:
     ByteRange _byteRange;
     bool _rangeRequestSuccessful { false };
     uint64_t _totalSizeOfResource { 0 };
+    QString _webMediaType;
     int64_t _lastRecordedBytesDownloaded { 0 };
     bool _isObservable;
     qint64 _callerId;
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..790897c3e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+//
+//  MediaTypeLibrary.cpp
+//  libraries/shared/src/shared
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/29.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#include "MediaTypeLibrary.h"
+
+MediaType MediaType::NONE = MediaType("");
+
+MediaTypeLibrary::ID MediaTypeLibrary::registerMediaType(const MediaType& mediaType) {
+    ID id = nextID++;
+    _mediaTypes.emplace_back(id, mediaType);
+    return id;
+}
+
+void MediaTypeLibrary::unregisterMediaType(const MediaTypeLibrary::ID& id) {
+    for (auto it = _mediaTypes.begin(); it != _mediaTypes.end(); it++) {
+        if ((*it).id == id) {
+            _mediaTypes.erase(it);
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+MediaType MediaTypeLibrary::getMediaType(const MediaTypeLibrary::ID& id) const {
+    for (auto& supportedFormat : _mediaTypes) {
+        if (supportedFormat.id == id) {
+            return supportedFormat.mediaType;
+        }
+    }
+    return MediaType::NONE;
+}
+
+MediaTypeLibrary::ID MediaTypeLibrary::findMediaTypeForData(const hifi::ByteArray& data) const {
+    // Check file contents
+    for (auto& mediaType : _mediaTypes) {
+        for (auto& fileSignature : mediaType.mediaType.fileSignatures) {
+            auto testBytes = data.mid(fileSignature.byteOffset, (int)fileSignature.bytes.size()).toStdString();
+            if (testBytes == fileSignature.bytes) {
+                return mediaType.id;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return INVALID_ID;
+}
+
+MediaTypeLibrary::ID MediaTypeLibrary::findMediaTypeForURL(const hifi::URL& url) const {
+    // Check file extension
+    std::string urlString = url.path().toStdString();
+    std::size_t extensionSeparator = urlString.rfind('.');
+    if (extensionSeparator != std::string::npos) {
+        std::string detectedExtension = urlString.substr(extensionSeparator + 1);
+        for (auto& supportedFormat : _mediaTypes) {
+            for (auto& extension : supportedFormat.mediaType.extensions) {
+                if (extension == detectedExtension) {
+                    return supportedFormat.id;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return INVALID_ID;
+}
+
+MediaTypeLibrary::ID MediaTypeLibrary::findMediaTypeForWebID(const std::string& webMediaType) const {
+    // Check web media type
+    if (webMediaType != "") {
+        for (auto& supportedFormat : _mediaTypes) {
+            for (auto& candidateWebMediaType : supportedFormat.mediaType.webMediaTypes) {
+                if (candidateWebMediaType == webMediaType) {
+                    return supportedFormat.id;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return INVALID_ID;
+}
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.h b/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c87da01fa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/shared/MediaTypeLibrary.h
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+//
+//  MediaTypeLibrary.h
+//  libraries/shared/src/shared
+//
+//  Created by Sabrina Shanman on 2018/11/28.
+//  Copyright 2018 High Fidelity, Inc.
+//
+//  Distributed under the Apache License, Version 2.0.
+//  See the accompanying file LICENSE or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html
+//
+
+#ifndef hifi_MediaTypeLibrary_h
+#define hifi_MediaTypeLibrary_h
+
+#include <vector>
+#include <string>
+#include <functional>
+#include <mutex>
+
+#include "HifiTypes.h"
+
+// A short sequence of bytes, typically at the beginning of the file, which identifies the file format
+class FileSignature {
+public:
+    FileSignature(const std::string& bytes, int byteOffset) :
+        bytes(bytes),
+        byteOffset(byteOffset) {
+    }
+    FileSignature(const FileSignature& fileSignature) :
+        bytes(fileSignature.bytes),
+        byteOffset(fileSignature.byteOffset) {
+    }
+
+    std::string bytes;
+    int byteOffset;
+};
+
+// A named file extension with a list of known ways to positively identify the file type
+class MediaType {
+public:
+    MediaType(const std::string& name) :
+        name(name) {
+    }
+    MediaType() {};
+    MediaType(const MediaType& mediaType) :
+        name(mediaType.name),
+        extensions(mediaType.extensions),
+        webMediaTypes(mediaType.webMediaTypes),
+        fileSignatures(mediaType.fileSignatures) {
+    }
+
+    static MediaType NONE;
+
+    std::string name;
+    std::vector<std::string> extensions;
+    std::vector<std::string> webMediaTypes;
+    std::vector<FileSignature> fileSignatures;
+};
+
+class MediaTypeLibrary {
+public:
+    using ID = unsigned int;
+    static const ID INVALID_ID { 0 };
+
+    ID registerMediaType(const MediaType& mediaType);
+    void unregisterMediaType(const ID& id);
+
+    MediaType getMediaType(const ID& id) const;
+
+    ID findMediaTypeForData(const hifi::ByteArray& data) const;
+    ID findMediaTypeForURL(const hifi::URL& url) const;
+    ID findMediaTypeForWebID(const std::string& webMediaType) const;
+
+protected:
+    ID nextID { 1 };
+    
+    class Entry {
+    public:
+        Entry(const ID& id, const MediaType& mediaType) :
+            id(id),
+            mediaType(mediaType) {
+        }
+        ID id;
+        MediaType mediaType;
+    };
+
+    std::vector<Entry> _mediaTypes;
+};
+
+#endif // hifi_MeidaTypeLibrary_h