FBX Max Plugins

3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide

3ds Max FBX plug-inJuly 2007

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Document: 3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide

Version: 3ds Max FBX plug-in 2006.11.1

Date: July 2007

Contents

1 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Windows installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Importing and Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Exporting from 3ds Max to an .fbx file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

FBX Exporter window options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Export options area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Misc. area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Coordinates and Unit Conversion area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Ok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Cancel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Check for web updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

FBX versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Importing .fbx files into 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Import to an Empty Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Merge Back with the Original Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

FBX Importer window options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Import options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Import configuration options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Coordinate and Unit conversion area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Use FBX file frame rate in 3ds Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Show the Warnings and Errors dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Ok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guideiii

Table of Contents

Cancel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Check for web updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Advanced Bone Options window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Bone objects options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Bone conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25OK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Advanced Animation Options window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26FCurve filtering pre-processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Matricial conversion consequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

What’s supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Light support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Camera support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

What’s not supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Custom properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

What’s new . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

New features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Bug fixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Known limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

3 Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

FBXExporterGetParam [arg] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

FBXExporterSetParam [arg] [value] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

FBXImporterGetParam [arg] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

FbxImporterSetParam [arg] [value] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

ImportBoneAsDummy [true|false] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

KeepFrameRate [true|false] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide iv

1 Installation

The 3ds Max FBX plug-in is used by 3ds Max®to import, export, and convert files using the .fbx file format. This document describes how to install the 3ds Max FBX plug-in for Windows®XP.

Windows installationThe 3ds Max FBX plug-in is available for Windows XP.

To install the 3ds Max FBX plug-in:

1 Delete the old fbxmaxexp.dle and fbxmaximp.dli files from your 3ds Max FBX plug-in directory. Remove any other 3ds Max FBX plug-ins you have to avoid conflicts.

2 Download the install file from the Autodesk web site (http://www.Autodesk.com).

Note The 3ds Max FBX plug-in runs only on the version of 3ds Max for which it is created. Verify that the 3ds Max FBX plug-in you are installing is appropriate for your version of 3ds Max, otherwise 3ds Max will reject it.

Note These files are removed automatically during the installation process, but if you receive an error warning when you run the plug-in, check for other versions of the plug-in files and remove them manually.


1

1 | InstallationWindows installation

3 Double-click the install file to launch the Autodesk plug-in installer (figure 1-1).

4 Click I accept to accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.

5 The next window shows the recommended installation location for the plug-in (figure 1-2). To specify another location, click Browse to launch the file browser. Click Next.

6 The next window shows the recommended installation location for the plug-in documentation. To specify another location, click Browse to launch the file browser. Click Install.

figure 1-1: Autodesk Installer window

figure 1-2: Autodesk Destination folder window.


2

1 | Installation

Windows installation

7 A series of dialog boxes appear asking if you would like to keep older versions of the plug-in (if applicable), open the plug-in documentation or view the read me file. Select Yes or No for each of these options.

8 The installation completed window appears. Click Close to exit the installer.

The 3ds Max FBX plug-in is now installed.


3

1 | InstallationWindows installation


4

2 Importing and Exporting

This section describes how to export models from 3ds Max using the .fbx file format, and how to import .fbx files into 3ds Max.

It also includes a list of the 3ds Max features supported by this version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in, as well as a list of new improvements and enhancements.

Exporting from 3ds Max to an .fbx file1 Create the model, textures (UV file texture), and skeleton in 3ds

Max.

2 Select File > Export scene from the main menu bar. A file browser appears. Browse to the location where you want to save the .fbx file.

3 Name the file and select FBX as the File type.

4 Click OK. The Export FBX File dialog box appears.


5

2 | Importing and ExportingExporting from 3ds Max to an .fbx file

5 Select options for export from the FBX Exporter window (figure 2-3). For more information about the export options and which you should activate, see "FBX Exporter window options" on page 7.

figure 2-3: FBX exporter window


6

2 | Importing and Exporting

FBX Exporter window options

FBX Exporter window optionsOnce you select an .fbx file to export from 3ds Max, the FBX Exporter window appears (figure 2-4).

Export options areaThis area contains elements for exporting to .fbx format:

GeometryActivate this option to export all geometry to .fbx format.

figure 2-4: FBX exporter window


7

2 | Importing and ExportingFBX Exporter window options

Split mesh for per vertex normalsActivate this option so your .fbx file will support normal per-polygon vertices.

CamerasActivate this option to export the scene’s cameras to .fbx format. Cameras are converted into .fbx compatible camera types. See "Camera export" on page 30 for a detailed list of what cameras are affected.

LightsActivate this option to export the scene’s lights to .fbx format. Lights are converted into .fbx compatible light types. See "Light support" on page 28 for a detailed list on how lights are affected.

Geometry used as bones, exported as bonesActivate this option to convert geometry used for deforming objects into real bones in the .fbx file. When you import this file back into 3ds Max, they become bones.

Shapes (Morph modifiers)Activate this option to export all shape deformations to .fbx format.

Skins (Skin modifiers)Activate this option to export all skin deformations to .fbx format.

AnimationActivate this option to export animation to .fbx format.


8



Export Selection Set as Geometry Cache fileActivate this option to create a cache file to which a Selection set to which the .fbx file will refer. In order to use this option, you must create a selection set of the objects for which you want to retain the vertex animation in 3ds Max.

By default, any point cache files created will be in .mc format. Three files are generated when you activate this option:

an .fbx file

an .xml file

a .mc file

The .xml and .mc files are stored in a sub-folder that is named after the .fbx file and has the extension .fpc. For example, if you export a scene containing a cube named pCube1 to the .fbx file myTest.fbx, you create the following files:

myTest.fbx

myTest.fpc

pCubeShape1.xml

pCubeShape1.mc

If any .pc2 or .mc point cache files have already been recorded (within the selection set), they are retained.

Selection set menu

Use the Selection Set menu to select an appropriate set to export the cache file.

Note This option is only available with the plug-in for 3ds Max 2008.


9


Misc. areaThis area contains miscellaneous options for the export process:

Resampling rate (if necessary)Shows the scene’s resampling rate.

Double-click the field to enter a new resampling rate (the default is the 3ds Max frame rate).

Constant Key Reducer filteringActivate this option to apply Constant Key Reducer filtering to the exported file. This removes redundant keyframes or keys with the same value, which are the same as the flat sections of an FCurve.

Show the Warnings and Errors dialog boxLets you disable the Warnings and Errors dialog box that may appear during the import/export process.

The default setting is Active.

Embed texturesActivate this option to export any textures associated with your scene.

Convert to portable format (.tiff)

Activate this option to convert your textures into .tiff format, which makes them readable on other platforms.

Export to ASCII formatActivate this option to save the .fbx file in ASCII format.

Export to versionUse this menu to export your file to a legacy .fbx file format.


10



Expand the Export to Version menu to select an .fbx version. See "FBX versions" on page 14 for more information about the different .fbx file format versions offered.

Coordinates and Unit Conversion areaThis section lets you specify the world space in which your scene is exported.

The plug-in reads the World Coordinate system and/or the Scale Working units from the current scene settings and converts it to the specified space. The specified values are saved in the .fbx file as global settings for the scene.

Conversion methodSelect from one of the following conversion methods:

Option Function

None No conversion takes place and the exported data is unaffected.

Convert animation Recalculates all animation FCurves so their values reflect the new World system.


11


World Coordinate System Up AxisUse this menu to define the up axis in your .fbx file. The up axis is the global axis that is pointing upwards. By default, 3ds Max’s up axis is the Y axis.

There are two choices:

Y-axis

Z-axis

The default setting is Y.

Scale working unitsThis area lets you specify the units of the scene saved in the .fbx file.

1 cm will become

Use the 1 cm will become menu to specify the units of the scene saved in the .fbx file from a list of commonly-used unit conversions.

Add FBX_Root node Adds a transformation node to the top of the scene to contain the transformations needed to transport the data into the new World system.

Selecting this option adds a Root node that you can use to scale your model in case of size differences between software packages.

This option is available to facilitate backward compatibility as it generates the .fbx file the same way as earlier releases of the plug-in.

Note: If the plug-in does not detect a need for the conversion, no Fbx_Root node is added.

Option Function


12



By default, the plug-in offers no conversion, for example 1 centimeter remains 1 centimeter.

Scale factorDefines a global scale that affects the entire scene.

ResetRestores the FBX Exporter window’s default values.

The Exporter window’s default values are the best settings for simple conversions.

OkStarts the export process.

CancelCloses the Export FBX window, without performing any action.

Check for web updatesOpens a browser window and searches the Autodesk web site for newer versions of the plug-in for you to download.

HelpAccesses the 3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide in .pdf format.


13

2 | Importing and ExportingFBX versions

FBX versionsThe following table lists the different versions available for you to select from the Export to version menu in the FBX Exporter window.

Version Description

FBX200611 Select this version to use your file with the latest version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in (for example, version FBX200611).

Note: Do not use this option to export from 3ds Max into MotionBuilder 7.5. Use the FBX200602_MB75 option instead.

FBX200608 Select this version to use your file with the latest version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in (for example, version FBX200608).

Note: Do not use this option to export from 3ds Max into MotionBuilder 7.5. Use the FBX200602_MB75 option instead.

FBX200602_MB75 Select this version to use your file with MotionBuilder 7.5 and its associated plug-ins (for example, version FBX200602).

Note: Use this option to export 3ds Max files into MotionBuilder 7.5. Otherwise, NURBS are lost and mesh normals may be inverted.

In this mode, normals in normal per polygon/vertex mode are transformed to normals per vertex and hard edges become smooth edges.


14


Importing .fbx files into 3ds Max

Importing .fbx files into 3ds MaxThis section describes the import types available to the 3ds Max FBX plug-in and the two methods of importing an .fbx file into 3ds Max:

Importing into an empty scene

Merging back to the original scene

Import to an Empty SceneYou can import an .fbx file directly into an empty scene. Morph creation, mesh, textures, and the 3ds Max bone structure (hierarchy) are supported.

FBX200508_MB70 Select this version to export into a format that can be read by MotionBuilder 7.0 and its associated plug-ins (for example, version FBX200508).

FBX60_MB60 Select this version to export into a format that can be read by MotionBuilder 6.0 and its associated plug-ins).

FBX53_MB55 Select this version to export into a format that can be read by MotionBuilder 5.5 and its associated plug-ins).

Note Files remain backward compatible, for example, a file saved with FBX53_MB55 can be read by applications supporting FBX60_MB60, FBX200508_MB70 and FBX200602_MB75.

Version Description


15

2 | Importing and ExportingImporting .fbx files into 3ds Max

To import an .fbx file into an empty scene:

1 Launch 3ds Max.

2 Select File > Import, and use the file browser to locate the .fbx file you want to import.

3 Select FBX as the File Type, and click Ok.

4 Select Add to New Scene in the pop-up menu that appears, and leave the rest of the selected options as they appear. To learn more about the available Import options, see "FBX Importer window options" on page 18.

5 Click Ok.

Merge Back with the Original SceneYou can merge the .fbx file with your original scene. Use this method to recognize your existing models and simply copy the new animation onto them.

This method is useful when you already have special behavior effects saved with your 3ds Max scene.

To merge an .fbx file back with the original scene:

1 Launch 3ds Max.

2 Load your original scene.

3 Select File > Import, and use the file browser to the locate the .fbx file to import.

4 Select FBX as the File Type, and click Ok.

Note Read "What’s not supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in" on page 32 for a list of elements that may not import correctly.


16


Importing .fbx files into 3ds Max

5 In the menu that appears (figure 2-5), make sure that Exclusive Merge is selected in the Import Type area. Click Ok.

6 Change the Resampling rate if it is necessary (The default is the 3ds Max frame rate).

7 Click Ok.

figure 2-5: FBX importer window


17

2 | Importing and ExportingFBX Importer window options

FBX Importer window optionsOnce you select an .fbx file to import into Max, the FBX Importer window appears. The FBX Importer window contains import options.

TakeDisplays the takes saved with the scene. Click a take to select it for import.

Note You can only select one take at a time.

figure 2-6: FBX importer window


18


FBX Importer window options

Import optionsSelect the import type that best suits your needs before choosing your import method.

Import configuration optionsActivate the following options to import these features of your scene:

BonesActivate this option to import your scene’s bones.

Click the More button to access additional Bone import options like Width, Height and Taper in the Advanced FBX Import Parameters window. For information on these advanced Bone options, see "Advanced Bone Options window" on page 24.

Import type Description

Exclusive merge Use to merge only the elements modified in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in with elements in the original 3ds Max scene.

Exclusive Merge does not import control-sets, optical markers and other specific 3ds Max FBX plug-in elements.

Add to new scene Use to import all the 3ds Max FBX plug-in elements (enabled in the Import Configurations menu) into a new scene.

Merge Use Merge to use a combination of the Exclusive Merge and Add to New Scene.

When you activate Merge, the 3ds Max FBX plug-in merges the animation with the elements that are already present in the 3ds Max scene, and creates any other objects that are defined in the .fbx file.

This is the default setting.


19


GeometryActivate this option to import your scene’s geometry.

SkinsActivate this option to import your scene’s Skin.

Cameras Activate this option to import any cameras used in the scene. Cameras are converted from .fbx compatible camera types to 3ds Max camera types. See "Camera import" on page 32 for more about of how cameras are affected.

LightsActivate this option to import any lights used in the scene. Lights are converted from .fbx compatible light types to 3ds Max light types. See "Light support" on page 28 for more about of how cameras are affected.

MarkersActivate this option to import any markers used in the scene.

Shapes (Morph modifiers)Activate this option to import any shapes used in the scene.

AnimationActivate this option to import any animation found in the scene.

Click the More button to access additional Animation import options like Constant Key Reducing Filtering, Gimble Lock Killer Filtering, XYZ FCurve Synchronization filtering, and Resampling rate. See "Advanced Animation Options window" on page 26 for more information.


20



Smoothing groupsWhen this option is active, the plug-in imports the required information for identifying edges that are defined as hard or smooth and sets the polygon edges with the saved state.

If you disable this option, these states are discarded and 3ds Max recomputes the normals with internal algorithms, causing all hard edges to be lost. Any smoothing groups are collapsed into one group that contains all polygons.

This setting is active by default.

Geometry Cache File(s)Loads cache file(s) referenced by the .fbx file.

Coordinate and Unit conversion areaThis section lets you specify the world space in which your scene is imported.

The plug-in processes the conversions of the World Coordinate System and/or the Scale Working units defined in the .fbx file, as well as the options you set.

World Coordinate System Up AxisUse this menu to define the up axis in your .fbx file. The up axis is the global axis that is pointing upwards. By default, 3ds Max’s up axis is the Z axis.

Note This option is only available for 3ds Max version 9.0 and later.

Note This conversion affects only the incoming data. 3ds Max’s settings are not changed.


21


There are two choices:

Y-axis

Z-axis

The default setting is Y.

If this option is disabled, the menu is grayed out and displays the current 3ds Max world coordinate setting.

Scale Working UnitsActivate this option so you can access the Convert to menu to specify units to import data from the .fbx file.

Convert to

Use the Convert to menu to specify the units of the scene saved in the .fbx file from a list of commonly-used unit conversions.

By default, the plug-in offers no conversion, that is, 1 centimeter remains 1 centimeter.

Scale factor

Defines a global scale that affects the entire scene.

Use FBX file frame rate in 3ds MaxLets you import the frame rate from the .fbx file. This overwrites the rate used in 3ds Max.

Show the Warnings and Errors dialog boxLets you disable the Warnings and Errors dialog box that may appear during the import/export process.

The default setting is Active.


22



ResetRestores the FBX Importer window’s default values.

The Importer window’s default values are the best settings for simple conversions.

OkStarts the import process.

CancelCloses the Import FBX window, without performing any action.

Check for web updatesOpens a browser window and searches the Autodesk web site for newer versions of the plug-in to download.

HelpAccesses the 3ds Max FBX Plug-in Guide in .pdf format.


23


Advanced Bone Options windowClick the More button next to the FBX Importer window’s Bones option to display the Advanced Bone Options window (figure 2-7). Use the Advanced Bone Options window to customize the creation of 3ds Max bones.

Bone objects optionsUse the Bone objects options to create bone objects that are a specific size. These values are only used on rare occasions when the plug-in cannot automatically compute bone size.

Setting Description

Width The size of the bone width. (This is only represented graphically.)

Height The bone height.

Lock width and height Locks the values entered in the Width and Height field. (This is active only if the same value is entered in the Bone Width and Height fields.)

Taper Percentage of the Width or Height thickness at the end of the bone.

figure 2-7: Advanced Bone Options


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Bone conversionSelect one of two methods for modifying imported joints.

ResetRestores the Advanced Bone Options window to its default settings.

OKApplies the setting changes and closes the window.

Option Behavior

Convert as Dummy Changes imported joints into Dummy objects. They resemble bones but do not have the limitations of a “real” 3ds Max bone.

Leave as bone Creates imported joints into true Max Bones


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Advanced Animation Options windowClick the More button next to the FBX Importer window’s Animation option to display the Advanced Animation Options window. Use the Advanced Animation Options window to set filtering options for imported animation (figure 2-8)

FCurve filtering pre-processingSelect any of these options to affect how the animation is filtered:

Option Description

Constant Key reducer filtering Removes redundant keyframes or keys with the same value, the same as flat sections of an FCurve.

Gimble Lock Killer filtering (will also resample rotation FCurves)

Re-evaluates the rotation FCurve to remove any 180 degree rotation jumps.

XYZ FCurve Synchronization filtering On a XYZ group of FCurves, (position, rotation and scale) the filter checks that a keyframe exists for each component (X,Y,Z) at the same time.

figure 2-8: Advanced Animation Options


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What’s supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

Matricial conversion consequencesUse this field when converting animation results in the loss of tangent information. This way, you can enter a new resampling rate to compensate for the new behavior.

What’s supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-inThis section lists the supported features for the 3ds Max FBX plug-in:

All texture mapping types.

Image maps on all channels, with the exception of Displacement, Filter color, and Refraction map channels.

Multiple UV maps/sets.

Decay rate and Decay start settings for light properties, as well as near/far attenuation.

Photometric lights (converted to Standard lights on export). (See "Light support" on page 28 for more information about 3ds Max lights and how they are imported/exported.)

Collada (.dae) format (beta-level support only). When exporting from Collada to .fbx format, use the Y-Axis option from the World Coordinate System Up Axis menu and the Add FBX_Root node option from the Conversion Method menu.

NURBS. (NURBS curves are converted to NURBS surfaces.)

Cameras (See "Camera support" on page 30 for more information about 3ds Max cameras and how they are imported/exported.)

Patches. (Patches are converted and exported as triangle meshes. We recommend using triangle meshes when building models.)

Geometry Cache files. (Available only with the plug-in for 3ds Max versions 9 and later.)

Normals and smoothing groups have improved support.

Bones (imported as true bones or as dummies that appear as bones).


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2 | Importing and ExportingWhat’s supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

Polygons (Converted to triangles when exporting mesh geometry.)

Control Points.

Morphing.

Vertex color information.

Phong shaders are supported. (All standard material shaders are converted to Phong.)

Skins using Physique export. (Skins using Physique are imported using the Skin modifier.)

Light supportThe following tables list 3ds Max lights and how they are treated when they have been exported to the .fbx file format and re-imported into 3ds Max:


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Standard lights

Photometric lights

In 3ds Max When reimported back into 3ds Max:

Omni Omni Light.

Free Directional Free Directional Light.

Targeted Directional Free Directional Light.

Free Spot Free Spot.

Targeted Spot Target Spot.

Skylight Null. The Target is exported as a null.

MR Area Spot Spot.

MR Area Omni Omni.


Free Point Omni.

Target Point Omni. The Target is exported as a null.

Free Linear Omni.

Target Linear Omni. The Target is exported as a null.

Free Area Omni.

Target Area Omni. The Target is exported as a null.

MR Sky Null. The Target is exported as a null.

IES Sky Null. The Target is exported as a null.

MR Sun Free directional. The Target is exported as a null.


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2 | Importing and ExportingWhat’s supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

Light values

Camera supportThe following section’s tables indicate how cameras are treated by both 3ds Max and the .fbx file format.

Camera exportThe following table lists 3ds Max cameras and how the .fbx file format treats them on export:

IES Sun Free directional. The Target is exported as a null.

in 3ds Max When reimported back into 3ds Max:

Intensity Intensity FCurve (resampled).

Color channel Color channel.

Coneangle FCurve Coneangle.

The cone angle is computed as the (Hotspot+Falloff)/2.

If these parameters are animated, the resulting FCurve is evaluated at each frame.

In 3ds Max Becomes in .fbx

Free Camera Camera without interest.

Targeted Camera Camera with interest.



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Roll Angle Animation Roll Fcurve.

Angle values are inverted when exporting to .fbx to maintain a consistent orientation.

Parallel Camera Ortho (parallel), but the width and height values are not the same.

FOV channels Field of View FCurve.

The view is consistent, even though the focal length values changes.

Width-related FOV Horizontal Aperture.

Height-related FOV Vertical Aperture.

Near and Far plane Near and Far values if clipping is enabled.

Since Near and Far values cannot be animated in MotionBuilder, the current time value is used for evaluating the resulting Near and Far value.

Notes The UpVector animation is plotted on the Roll FCurve. If not animated, it is always exported as (0,1,0).

Camera Scale is not supported.

Diagonal-Related Field Of View is not supported, and its channels are interpreted as an horizontal Field of View.

Environment Planes are not supported.

Target Distance is exported as a static value. If the channel is animated, the resulting value is the one evaluated at the current time.

In 3ds Max Becomes in .fbx


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2 | Importing and ExportingWhat’s not supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

Camera importThe following lists how MotionBuilder cameras are treated by 3ds Max on import:

What’s not supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-inThis section lists the features that the 3ds Max FBX plug-in does not currently support:

Ambient light animation is not supported by the 3ds Max FBX plug-in. Ambient light is shown in the color state in which it was exported.

In .fbx Becomes in 3ds Max

Free Camera Free camera.

Camera (With a look-at Target/Interest)

Targeted camera.

Ortho (parallel) Camera Parallel camera

3ds Max Parallel Camera (a parallel camera generated by a 3ds Max export)

The camera’s width is set in the FOV Channel.

By importing an exported 3ds Max parallel camera, the width parameters are restored, even if it is not considered by MotionBuilder.

Notes Since the Near and Far plane values for cameras in MotionBuilder are constant, the 3ds Max channel cannot be animated.

Target Distance is imported for the Free Camera.


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What’s not supported in the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

The option to import skinned objects using the Physique Modifier has been removed as Physique Modifier is no longer supported on export. Skins using Physique are still exported but are only imported using the Skin modifier.

Displacement, Filter color, and Refraction map channels. (All other Image map channels are supported.)

Custom propertiesBecause of type limitations in .fbx files, the following conversions are applied.

Exported from 3ds Max

Becomes in .fbx

Float REAL

Boolean BOOL

Integer INTEGER

Color COLOR

Array INTEGER

Node ignored.

Imported .fbx Becomes in 3ds Max

REAL Float

BOOL Boolean

INTEGER Integer

COLOR Color

VECTOR3 Float


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2 | Importing and ExportingWhat’s new

What’s newThe following section contains the new features, bug fixes, and known limitations for this version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in:

New featuresTo accommodate changes in 3ds Max 2008, new support has been created for .mc and .pc2 point cache files.

This version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in contains many enhancements intended to optimize the transfer of files. These improvements have been made to further stabilize and improve the behavior of the previous version (200608) of the plug-in.

Added support for image maps on all channels on import and export, except for Displacement, Filter color, and Refraction map channels.

Added support for Multiple UV maps/sets.

Added support for Decay rate and Decay start settings for light properties, as well as near/far attenuation.

Photometric lights are now converted to Standard lights on export.

The 3ds Max FBX plug-in is compatible for export to the 2006.11 version.

Bug fixesProblems where exporting 3ds Max scenes intermittantly caused instability have been resolved. As well, general enhancements have been made toward export stability.

Textures: The following texture issues have been addressed:

Improved Image map stability.


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What’s new

High resolution .jpeg images no longer cause 3ds Max to become unstable. (If the image is very large, some embedded images will not be embedded due to lack of memory. A warning message is generated if this occurs.)

Corrected inaccurate warning on texture export.

Addressed stability issues when using Embed with Convert to TiFF option.

Resolved texture map issues where a 3ds Max file would not import certain texture maps into Maya.

Corrected stability issues with the exporter if textures used any files that could not be located. Now, if an image is missing from a texture that is used in a scene, a warning appears in the FBX Warning Manager to indicate that there is no texture file found at that location.

3ds Max editable polygons (e-poly) now export vertex color.

The problem where the import of certain trimmed NURBS caused instability has been resolved.

Certain unsupported light types created instability in 3ds Max FBX Plug-in and have now been addressed. Now, if you attempt to export a scene that contains unsupported lights, a warning appears.

A problem where 3ds Max normals gave inconsistent values on export has been resolved.

A problem where the specular level and glossiness textures were inverted on models during export has been corrected.

Meshes from .fbx are no longer converted to trimeshes on import. This prevents the number of faces in the mesh from changing, and avoids triangulation of concave polygons in 3ds Max.

Improvements have been made to the way normals are imported.


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2 | Importing and ExportingKnown limitations

Known limitationsThe following is a list of known limitations for this version of the 3ds Max FBX plug-in:

Activating the Redraw Scene On Window Expose (Customize>Preferences>Viewports>Display Driver>Configure Driver) option creates instability in 3ds Max (64-bit) when exporting using the FBX Exporter.

If you export to FBX with this option activated, editable polys will display their normals incorrectly in the Viewport. However, the normals display correctly when rendered. Disable the Redraw Scene On Window Expose option and restart 3ds Max to avoid corrupting the objects in your scene when exporting.

You may encounter memory issues when using scenes with a large polygon count. If this occurs, keep the scene minimal by avoiding an excessive polygon count.

The 3ds Max FBX Plug-in does not retain amount values for Standard materials, such as Bump, Diffuse, and Specular level when exporting.

None of these values are saved into the .fbx file format and all channels are set to a value of 100 on export. The 3ds Max FBX plug-in reads the glossiness and specularity amounts from shader basic parameters and not from the Maps rollout in the Material editor.

Morph information is not exported with NURBS or Patch geometry.

The import and export process causes 3ds Max Material IDs to become reversed, and assigned Multi/Sub-object materials also reverse their numbering. Despite this, the materials are assigned and rendered correctly.

Lock information of 3ds Max’s Ambient and Diffuse channels is not exported by the 3ds Max FBX plug-in. If a texture is defined in the Ambient channel when you import an .fbx file into 3ds Max, the Ambient and Diffuse channels become unlocked.


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Known limitations

To preserve the channels’ locked state you must lock them after the scene has been imported.

Target Direct lights are converted to Free Direct lights.

MR Lights become standard lights. (For example, MR Area Omni lights become Standard Omni lights).

Photometric lights are converted to Standard lights but any Photometric-specific values are lost.

Skylights and their targets are not supported and are converted to null objects.

Morphs on Nurbs & Patch models do not export.

A limitation exists where objects exported via the .fbx format remain in the last state shown in the Viewport. Any vertex animation on an object is exported in its current PRS coordinates.

For example, if you exported a cylinder with a 100-frame animated Bend modifier at frame 50, the scene would show the cylinder at a 50-percent bend.

To accommodate this limitation, position your Time slider at the point in the animation you want to export.

To retain the entire animation, create a selection set for animated object(s), and activate the Export Selection Set As Geometry Cache File option in the 3ds Max FBX Exporter window.

When you enable Shapes and NURBS curves in the Viewport, the Shapes export as editable meshes, and the NURBS curves export as NURBS surfaces.

For example, if you had a circle shape enabled in the Viewport, the circle would become capped on export.

Note For a more specific list of light conversions, see "Light support" on page 28.


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2 | Importing and ExportingKnown limitations

For improved inter-operability, keyframe animation set on controllers with TCB interpolation or tangent slopes set to Fast, Slow or User are systematically resampled.


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3 Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

This chapter contains the commands for scripting 3ds Max FBX plug-ins.

FBXExporterGetParam [arg]Queries the export plug-in parameters where [arg] is a recognized export parameter.

FBXExporterGetParam returns the value of the named parameter. If the parameter is unrecognized or the wrong number of arguments are provided, the value “unsupported” is returned.

For a list of supported parameters, see "FBXExporterSetParam [arg] [value]" on page 39.

FBXExporterSetParam [arg] [value]Sets the specified argument for export where [arg] is a recognized export parameter and [value] is an appropriate value for the supported parameter. For example, to prevent the export of cameras:

FBXExporterSetParam "Cameras" false

FBXExporterSetParam returns “OK” if successful or if it is sent an unrecognized parameter.

FBXExporterSetParam returns “unsupplied” if the wrong number of arguments are passed.


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3 | Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-inFBXExporterSetParam [arg] [value]

FBXExporterSetParam recognizes the following parameter and values:

For example, to query the export camera’s state:

FBXExporterGetParam "Cameras"

Name Value

Animation True or false

Cameras True or false

Convert2Tiff True or false

EmbedTextures True or false

FilterKeyReducer True or false

GeomAsBone True or false

Geometries True or false

Lights True or false

NormalsPerPoly True or false

PointCache True or false

Resampling Float

SelectionSet Name of the selection set to use

Shape True or false

Skin True or false

ShowWarnings True or false


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3 | Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

FBXImporterGetParam [arg]

FBXImporterGetParam [arg]Queries the import plug-in parameters where [arg] is a recognized import parameter.

FBXImporterGetParam returns the value of the named parameter. If the parameter is unrecognized or the wrong number of arguments are provided, the value “unsupported” is returned.

For example, to query the import Mode’s state:

FBXImporterGetParam "Mode"

Returns either #create, #merge, or #exmerge.

The one exception to this is the TakeCount argument, where you must specify the full file name of the .fbx file that you want to query. For example:

FBXImporterGetParam “TakeCount” “C:\\temp\\myfile.fbx”

For a list of supported parameters, see "FbxImporterSetParam [arg] [value]" on page 41.

FbxImporterSetParam [arg] [value]Sets the specified argument for import where [arg] is a recognized import parameter and [value] is an appropriate value for the supported parameter.

FBXImporterSetParam returns “OK” if successful or if it is sent an unrecognized parameter.

FBXImporterSetParam returns “unsupplied” if the wrong number of arguments are passed.

FBXImporterSetParam recognizes the following parameter and values:

Name Value

Animation True or false


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3 | Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-inFbxImporterSetParam [arg] [value]

For example, to import an fbx file using the “Add to new scene” mode and the skin modifier, but without loading animation fcurves:

FBXImporterSetParam "Mode" "create"FBXImporterSetParam "skin" true

Cameras True or false

FilterKeyReducer True or false

FilterKeySync True or false

FilterUnroll True or false

Geometries True or false

HumanIK True or false

The HumanIK option is available only if a compatible HumanIK product is installed.

Lights True or false

Markers True or false

Mode “Create” or “merge” or “exmerge” When queried using FBXImportGetParm, this parameter returns #create, #merge, or #exmerge

PointCache True or false

Resampling Float

Shape True or false

Skin True or false

TakeIndex An integer number from 1 to the number of takes in the fbx file. This parameter is only available for setting.

Name Value


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3 | Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-in

ImportBoneAsDummy [true|false]

FBXImporterSetParam "Animation" false

ImportBoneAsDummy [true|false]Converts Joint nodes in the FBX file to Dummy objects that display as bone objects but without true bone constraints.

KeepFrameRate [true|false] Imports the frame rate from the FBX file and overwrites the rate used in 3ds Max.


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3 | Scripting the 3ds Max FBX plug-inKeepFrameRate [true|false]


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Documents

FBX Max Plugins