The FBX Export File Type Specific options appear in the Export All/Selection Options window options and are for saving a Maya file as an FBX file using Maya's FBX plug-in. For information about general export options, see Export All/Selection Options.
To view the File Type Specific options for FBX:
Choose your preset by selecting it in the menu of the FBX plug-in Presets section. The Maya FBX plug-in has two export workflow presets:
If you change any settings in preset, the preset field displays User defined, to show that the preset differs from its default state. The plug-in saves the User defined state in a temporary file so that the settings are the default the next time you use the plug-in.
When you activate this option the Maya FBX plug-in converts edge information to Smoothing Groups and exports them with the file.
When this option is disabled, no edge information is converted to Smoothing Groups.
Exporting with the Split per-vertex Normals option activated produces the following result in MotionBuilder:
You must activate this option to export Selection Sets.
Option | Function |
---|---|
NURBS | No conversion applied. |
Interactive display mesh | Converts geometry based on the NURBS display settings. |
Software Render Mesh | Converts geometry based on the NURBS render settings. |
The Referenced Asset Content option has been added to the Maya FBX plug-in for use with Maya versions 2009 and later.
For more information about assets, see Assets.
Normally, the Maya FBX plug-in saves Maya scene animation in the FBX file as Take 001. If you want the scene animation to instead be named for the Maya scene, activate this option.
This option is deactivated by default, so the take is automatically named Take 001, and so on.
Resample as Euler interpolation | This is the default conversion setting for quaternion interpolations.
This option converts and resamples quaternion interpolations into Euler curves to ensure interoperability. |
Retain quaternion interpolation | This option retains quaternion interpolation types during the export process.
Note: Use this option when you export animation that has quaternion interpolations. This option is only compatible with applications supporting this interpolation type, such as Autodesk MotionBuilder. Also note that the resulting animation will not be identical since quaternion evaluations are different in Maya vs. MotionBuilder. Use the default option (Resample as Euler interpolation) to obtain visual results identical to your animation in MotionBuilder, or other applications.
|
Set as Euler interpolation |
This option changes the interpolation type of quaternion keys to a Euler type, without resampling the animation curves themselves.
Note:
Using this option results in the same number of keys, set as Euler types. The visual result will be different since it is now evaluated as a Euler interpolation. Use the default (Resample as Euler interpolation) option in order to obtain visual results identical to your animation in MotionBuilder, or other applications. |
By default the Maya FBX plug-in takes the Start and End values automatically from the current Timeline settings of the host application. You can manually enter in a custom start, end, and step value to bake a specific section of time.
You can choose to export Skins and Bend Shapes specifically by expanding Deformed Models to access individual options.
Activate the Constant Key Reducer filter to remove redundant keys. Redundant keys are keys that have the same value, which are equivalent to flat horizontal interpolations on a curve. Redundant keys are often a result of a resampled FCurve before filtering.
Before:
Resampled FCurve before filtering
After:
Filtered FCurve with redundant keys removed (based on Threshold setting)
You can set specific thresholds for each type of transform. Translation Precision, Rotation Precision, Scaling Precision, and Other. Other includes transforms like Blend Shapes and custom attribute curves.
The default values are:
Values represent generic units. This is why you may need to modify threshold values in relation to the world scale of your scene, for example with very large or small scale scenes.
If you use this filter to eliminate noise, for example, from motion capture data, then you may need to modify values.
Setting | Description |
---|---|
Translation Precision | Threshold for translation curves in generic units. |
Rotation Precision | Threshold for rotation curves in generic units. |
Scaling Precision | Threshold for Scaling curves in generic units. |
Other Precision | Threshold for other curves in generic units. |
Auto tangents only | This option ensures that only “auto” key types are filtered. Otherwise, keys with interpolation values greater than a certain threshold may get deleted. |
When you activate this option, three files are generated:
The Maya FBX plug-in stores the XML and MCX files in a subfolder named after the FBX file and has the suffix FPC (_fpc).
For example, if you export a scene containing a cube named pCube1 to the FBX file myTest.fbx, you create the following files and folders:
The plug-in retains any MCX geometry cache files that are already recorded (within the selection set).
Use the Set menu to select an appropriate set to export the geometry cache file.
FBX supported constraints include:
This option lets you export your constraints effectively without the need to bake the animation first, if you are transferring to a package that which supports these constraints, like MotionBuilder.
Activate this option to export all cameras contained in the scene.
Activate this option to export all lights contained in the file. The Maya FBX plug-in exports and converts light types to ensure FBX interoperability.
Activate this option to include (or embed) all media associated with your scene in the FBX file itself. For example, texture images.
If this option is disabled, no input connections associated with the selected object are exported during the export selection operation. If the option is active, however, all associated input connections to the selected object are exported.
This option is active by default, so the Maya FBX plug-in includes any objects that influence the selected ones.
The Advanced Options section primarily contains additional options that let you modify the default plug-in behavior. In most cases, you do not need to modify these options to have a successful export. The section also holds additional settings specific to the Collada file type.
The Units option lets you view the conversion factor (scaling value) the plug-in uses as well as modify the conversion units.
When Automatic is active, the File Units will match the system units, and the plug-in applies no conversion. The displayed Scale Factor is 1.0 in this case.
The Maya FBX Exporter has two options for Axis Conversion in the UI. Y-up, or Z-up.
By default, the FBX Exporter always exports the Up Axis of the Host application. For Maya, this means that all scenes are exported with a Y-up world axis.
You can export your scene to a Z-up axis if the destination application does not support the Y-up world axis and cannot convert the Y-up world axis of your scene.
These options let you set display options of the UI. This lets you show or hide the Warning Manager and FBX UI windows. You can customize these display options, save them as a new Preset, and share this preset file. See the Creating a custom preset section for more information.
This section lets you determine what form you want your FBX file to take.
Mode | Function |
---|---|
Binary | Activate this option to save the FBX file in the standard format. |
ASCII | Activate this option to save the FBX file in ASCII format.
Note:
If you export your file to ASCII format in FBX versions 2010 and earlier, you cannot embed media. |
Version | Description |
---|---|
FBX 2019.2 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Maya 2019, and Maya LT 2019. This is the default FBX version. |
FBX 2018 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Maya 2018, and Maya LT 2018. |
FBX 2016/2017 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Maya 2017, Maya LT 2017, Maya Ext 2, Maya LT Ext 3, Maya 2016, Maya 2016 Ext 1, Maya LT 2016 and Maya LT 2016 Ext 1 and Ext 2. |
FBX 2014/2015 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2014 applications and 2014 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2013 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2013 applications and 2013 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2012 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2012 applications and 2012 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2011 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2011 applications, 2011 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2010 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2010 applications and 2010 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2009 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2009 applications and 2009 FBX plug-ins. |
FBX 2006 | Select this FBX version to export a file that is compatible with Autodesk 2006 FBX plug-ins and MotionBuilder 7.5, 7.0, and 6.0.. |
The Information rollout contains data about the Maya FBX plug-in as well as accessing the Maya FBX plug-in Help.
The Collada options only appear in the UI when you select the DAE_FBX file type from the file browser when you export.
Lets you set up and capture a thumbnail (single image) or playblast (image sequence) to be saved with your scene file to identify it in the Content Browser. See Capture Thumbnail/Playblast options.