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FBX, now free for developers...

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#1

http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/fbx/index.shtml

Alias FBX is a free platform-independent 3D authoring and interchange format that provides access to 3D content from most 3D vendors and platforms. The FBX file format supports all major 3D data elements, as well as 2D, audio, and video media elements.

So what do you guys think. .fbx support in Zbrush would be awesome, IMO. Imagine if Pixologic can get their “modeling” sphere’s programmed to export out in the .fbx format. Would be pretty cool, IMO. Plus it would be platform independant, and allow for multiple 3D apps to utilize the power of zspheres.

Anyway, just thought I’d share, and maybe start some discussion. Personally I’d much rather see .fbx implemented in Zbrush, just so we don’t have to keep messing with .obj files all the time.

#2

Exporting to FBX format would be a seriously great addition. If the Zspheres could be made into bones with fall off zones, included with other file attributes like embedded morphs and baked materials and textures, that would be powerful.

Regards,
Bill C.

#3

Powerful indeed. :smiley:

#4

hi chad,

I love the idea of it, but have a question.

wasn’t this format a part of the open source discussion on who would own the model then? I seem to recall some discussion somewhere about something similar or this…will have to try to find the time to refind it I guess…but I seem to remember discussion about how the big dogs might not support it because of licensing issues. I might be mistaking this for another format so forgive me if I am remembering wrong. But if you have some more info on that…please let me and others know.

thanks!

#5

I don’t know. It’s just a universal file format, like .obj, and .dxf. I don’t see how licensing could be an issue of the actual models saved in the format.

I do know that it was very expensive to originally use the FBX format, something like $3,500 in order for a developer to use it. But that’s no longer the case.

I have been using it for awhile now, back when Kaydara owned it. I use to use it to view my models in Quicktime, kind of like a thumbnail on steroids. Of course it won’t work as well on a PC, but on a Mac with column view it’s pretty cool. But I’ve since had to reinstall my OS X, and I lost the FBX plugin for Maya 4.5, and I can’t find it anymore. So no more cool previews of all the different models I’ve saved.