FBX Exporter

Export to FBX: Export Geometry

The FBX Exporter allows the user to export the geometry and forward kinematics of the components in FBX (Filmbox) format.

1. On the HOME tab, in the Export group, click FBX.
2. In the Export to FBX task pane, select the Export Geometry tab.
   1. Click Export all to export all components in the layout.
   2. Click Export selected to export only selected components.
3. Enable Use alphanumeric names, to sanitize the names of the exported links. This option replaces any non-alphanumeric characters with the underscore character “_” in exported names to improve compatibility with third-party software, e.g. Autodesk Maya®.
4. Under Include:
   1. Enable Materials to include the materials. Not all the materials supported in Visual Components are supported in FBX.
   2. Enable Textures to include the textures in the layout.
   3. Enable Skeleton to include the skeletal model of the components with non-fixed joints. The target application needs to support constraints.
   4. Enable Limits to include the limits of the joints. Custom joints support is limited. Rotation order is optimized for the rotation axis.
5. Under Transformation:
   1. From Up Axis select the orientation of the model exported.
   2. From Units select the system unit of the model exported.
6. Click Export, and then save the file.

Supported Geometry

• GeometrySets
• CompactLineSets
• Materials
• Textures
• 3D Text (exported as a mesh)

Known Limitations

• Rotational and translational follower are exported as independent joints. The original limits are used.
• Custom Joints are only supported in cases where there is a Rotation or Translation of one axis.
• Materials might differ on exported models.
• Point clouds are not supported by the FBX format.

Export to FBX: Export Animation

The FBX Animation Exporter allows the user to export animated geometry, and the forward kinematics of components in FBX (Filmbox) format.

1. On the HOME tab, in the Export group, click FBX.
2. In the Export to FBX task pane, select the Export Animation tab.
3. Enable Use alphanumeric names, to sanitize the names of the exported links. This option replaces any non-alphanumeric characters with the underscore character “_” in exported names to improve compatibility with third-party software, e.g. Autodesk Maya®.
4. Under Include:
   1. Enable Materials to include the materials. Not all the materials supported in Visual Components are supported in FBX.
   2. Enable Textures to include the textures in the layout.
   3. Enable Skeleton to include the skeletal model of the components with non-fixed joints. The target application needs to support constraints.
5. Under Transformation:
   1. From Up Axis select the orientation of the model exported.
   2. From Units select the system unit of the model exported.
   3. From Frame rate select the frame rate of the scene.
6. Click Start Recording.
7. To stop recording a simulation, click Stop from the Simulation controls or Stop and save from the Export Animation tab.
8. Finally, define a file name and location for saving the recording.

Supported Geometry

• GeometrySets
• CompactLineSets
• Materials
• Textures
• 3D Text (exported as a mesh)

Known Limitations

• Unity: In some versions of Unity, visibility of objects may be incorrect. Observed in Unity version 2022.1.19f1.
• Autodesk Maya®: Components with shared materials may appear green in some circumstances.
• Microsoft 3D Viewer: FBX files might not function reliably.
• Blender: The FBX models are not skinned, so you will need to weight paint the models to use Pose Mode.