The following sections are about how the 3ds Max FBX plug-in converts 3ds Max objects and their properties.
For a detailed report of conversion support for this version, see the FBX Compatibility Chart. The FBX Compatibility Chart explains what is supported and at what level, when you export from Autodesk 3ds Max and import into Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Mudbox or Autodesk MotionBuilder.
Camera Support
The following tables indicate how both 3ds Max and the FBX file format treat cameras.
- Camera Export
- The following table lists 3ds Max cameras and how the FBX file format treats them on export:
| In 3ds Max |
Becomes in FBX |
|---|
| Free Camera |
Camera without interest. |
| Target Camera |
Camera with interest. |
| Roll Angle Animation |
Roll FCurve. The plug-in inverts Angle values when exporting to FBX to maintain a consistent orientation. |
| Orthographic Camera |
The Orthographic setting which you apply in 3ds Max to a free or target camera is retained in FBX. |
| 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 active. Since you cannot animate Near and Far values in MotionBuilder, it uses the current time value to evaluate the resulting Near and Far value. |
Note: The Up Vector animation is plotted on the Roll FCurve. If not animated, the plug-in always exports it as (0,1,0). Camera Scale is not supported. Environment Planes are also not supported.
- Render Setup
- When the 3ds Max FBX plug-in exports cameras, the exporter sets the Render Output Size and Pixel Aspect Ratio for all cameras based on the current Render Setup dialog settings. If no user-created cameras exist, the render Output Size and Pixel Aspect Ratio values are not exported.
- Camera Import
- The following lists how 3ds Max treats MotionBuilder cameras on import:
| In FBX |
Becomes in 3ds Max |
|---|
| Free Camera |
Free camera. |
| Camera (With a look-at Target/Interest) |
Target camera. |
| Orthographic Camera |
Camera with an Orthographic setting. |
- Custom Camera Import
- When the 3ds Max FBX plug-in imports Maya and 3ds Max cameras, the Render Output Size and Pixel Aspect Ratio applied to the scene is set by the current camera in the FBX file. That is, the Render Output Size and Pixel Aspect Ratio from additional cameras are ignored. If the current camera is not a user-created camera, the Render Output Size and Pixel Aspect Ratio values are not imported.
Light Support
The following tables list 3ds Max lights and how the plug-in treats them on export to FBX and reimport to 3ds Max:
- Standard Lights
-
| In 3ds Max |
When imported back into 3ds Max: |
|---|
| Omni |
Omni |
| Free Directional |
Free Directional |
| Target Directional |
Free Directional |
| Free Spot |
Free Spot |
| Target Spot |
Target Spot |
| Skylight |
Omni |
| mr Area Spot |
Target Spot |
| mr Area Omni |
Omni |
Note: In non-Revit to 3ds Max workflows, the 3ds Max FBX plug-in does not support Skylights (and their targets). Instead the plug-in converts them to null objects. The plug-in also converts mr Lights to Standard lights (for example, an mr Area Omni Light becomes a standard omni light) and Photometric lights become Standard lights (where they lose any Photometric-specific values).
- Photometric Lights
-
| In 3ds Max |
When imported back into 3ds Max: |
|---|
| Target light |
Omni. The target is exported as a null. |
| Free light |
Omni light |
| mr Sky portal |
Omni light |
Custom Properties/Attributes
This section shows custom properties and attributes and the status of their support in the
3ds Max FBX plug-in.
- Custom Attributes
- The following table lists 3ds Max custom attributes and whether they are supported when exported to the FBX file format:
| Attribute |
Support |
|---|
| Angle spinner |
Supported |
| Angle Slider |
Supported |
| Array drop-down list |
Supported |
| Array Combo box |
Supported |
| Array list box |
Supported |
| Boolean Check box |
Supported |
| Boolean Check button |
Supported |
| RGB Color picker |
Supported |
| Float spinner |
Supported |
| Float slider |
Supported |
| fRGBA Color picker |
Supported |
| Integer spinner |
Supported |
| Integer slider |
Supported |
| Material button |
Not supported |
| Node pick button |
Not supported |
| Percent spinner |
Supported |
| Percent slider |
Supported |
| String |
Supported |
| Texture Map button |
Not supported |
| World units spinner |
Supported |
| World units slider |
Supported |
- User-defined Properties
- The FBX file format supports 3ds Max user-defined properties. They are stored in the FBX file as custom properties and labeled as UDP3DSMAX.