Importing FBX into 3DXchange

FBX Plug-in Version

• If your character's animations involves Blend Shape (also known as Morphs), then please export your rigged character with FBX 2011 Version in order to ensure compatibility with 3DXchange.
  Using FBX 2012 Version or above will cause the loss of the morphing animations.
  
• If your character's animations are triggered only by bones, then any FBX Version after 2011 will do.
  

Setting FBX Plug-in Version

• Maya
  1. Go to File >> Export All... >> Option.
  2. Set the File Type to FBX export. Click the Export All button.
     
  3. In the Export All panel, set the FBX File Format >> Version to FBX 2011.
     
  4. Click Export All button to save the character in FBX format.
  5. If you can not find this version, then please upgrade your Maya to include this FBX version.
• 3ds Max
  1. Go to >> Export >> Export.
     
  2. Set the Save as type to Autodesk (*.FBX). Click the Save button.
     
  3. In the FBX Export panel, set the FBX File Format >> Version to FBX 2011.
     
  4. Click OK button to save the character in FBX format.
  5. If you can not find the version, then please upgrade your 3ds Max to support this version of FBX.

Notice for Importing Characters

Eye Bones

• Due to the auto-rectifying ability for eyes in 3DXchange, the eye bones of a character will always be set to an identical direction.
• Therefore, make sure that the eye bones of the character created in external 3D tools (in this case, Maya) have the same axis directions. Different bone directions for the eyes will cause faulty look-at results in 3DXchange.

  Character with rigged body and eyes meshes	Eye bones with different directions.

  After being converted to iClone and using the Look At feature, the eyes go to unpredictable and different directions.
  
  By adjusting the directions of the eye bones in 3D tools, Look At issue can then be corrected in iClone.

  Eye bone directions rectified in 3D tools.	Corrected loot at result.

Sending Out and In iClone Assets

• It is highly recommended that you DO NOT exporting an iClone asset, especially a character, into FBX format and then load the FBX file back to iClone via 3DXchange.
  
• Exporting and then re-importing an iClone asset (in FBX format) through 3DXchange will cause incompatibility in iClone, which leads to faulty results when modifying or animating the asset (take a standard character as an example).

  Exporting and re-importing a standard character. Adjusting body proportion will causes wrong hair size.	The character has the same look as a standard character, but some features, such as Create Face or Facial Features in the Modify menu, are disabled.