Exporting a scene as APF

1. Hide objects in the scene that you may not wish to export.
2. Select File > Export As...

   The Export options window appears:

   

3. Select Autodesk Packet File (*.apf) from the file type dropdown menu.
4. Check the appropriate Data Retention options
   • Include original spline/ nurbs data: will write out any referenced spline data into the same APF file as the polygonal data used in Showcase. If the original spline data is not available (see Import models into your scene) then no spline/ nurbs data will be included.
     NoteHaving this option checked can dramatically increase the file size, processing time, and system resource (RAM) use, depending on the source files for your scene.
   • Include hidden objects: will include any hidden objects in the scene at export. Look in the Organizer (see The Organizer) for objects that are hidden before choosing this option.
   • Include objects in hidden alternatives: will include any objects that are part of model alternatives that are not currently active (see Set up and view model lineups).
   • Convert combined objects into single polysets: will write out objects that have been combined (see Combine and separate working guidelines and limitations) in the Organizer as single polygonal objects in the APF file. To preserve the current Showcase scene organization, this option is checked by default.
   • Include only selected objects: will write out only the objects that are currently selected, while applying any options above.
5. Press the Export Scene button and browse to the location for the file.

Supported entities

The Export as APF function will only write out certain entities in your Showcase scene. Not all elements of the scene file or referenced files will be exported.

Entities and objects supported are:

• Polygonal object geometry: this includes all LODs and alternatives (if hidden objects or hidden alternatives are included), and any duplicated or mirrored objects in the scene.
• Spline object geometry: if the option to include spline/ nurbs data is checked. This option will also increase the file size and processing time.
• Basic material colors: this includes the Color and Highlight properties of Showcase materials, but not image maps or ambient shadowing.
• Organizer hierarchy: this includes only those nodes that are included in the export, and some names may be modified on import in other applications.
• Flipped normals, patch reversals, and patch deletions are preserved.

Exporting a scene as FBX

Export as FBX is useful for sending data prepared in Showcase to other applications that support FBX, such as Autodesk®Maya™ or Autodesk®3DSMax™. The data can be animated and brought back into Showcase (through FBX) or rendered in the host application.

1. Hide objects in the scene that you may not wish to export
2. Select File > Export As...

   The Export options window appears:

   

3. Select FBX file from the file type dropdown menu.
4. Select your up-axis for the output file, either Z-up or Y-up.
   NoteMost animation systems are Y-up, while most CAD and Design systems are Z-up, like Showcase.
5. Check the appropriate Data Retention options:
   • Include hidden objects: will include any hidden objects in the scene at export. Look in the Organizer (see The Organizer) for objects that are hidden before choosing this option.
   • Include objects in hidden alternatives: will include any objects that are part of model alternatives (see Set up and view model lineups), which may be hidden in the current view.
   • Convert combined objects into single polysets: will write out objects that have been combined (see Combine and separate working guidelines and limitations) in the Organizer as single polygonal objects in the APF file. To preserve the current Showcase scene organization, this option is checked by default.
6. Press the Export Scene button and browse to the location for the file.

Included entities

The Export as FBX function will only write out those entities in your scene that are both supported by the FBX format and can be translated from the Showcase scene. Not all elements of the scene file or referenced files will be exported.

Entities and objects supported are:

• Polygonal object geometry: this includes the visible LOD and alternatives (if hidden objects are included), and any duplicated or mirrored objects in the scene.
• Basic material colors: this includes the Color and Highlight properties of Showcase materials, but not image maps or ambient shadowing.
• Shots, as cameras: this includes only the first frame of animated shots, for position and orientation of the 3D camera.
• Organizer hierarchy: this includes only those nodes that are included in the export, and some names may be modified on import in other applications.
• Flipped normals and patch reversals are preserved.

Exporting as A3S (Autodesk Scene File)

Showcase uses the A3S file as its basic container for scenes. Both Save and Save As... will create these scene files, but exporting as a Scene File provides further options for “compacting” the scene. This is useful for sharing finished projects with others without all of the working files and intermediate data.

1. Hide objects in the scene that you may not wish to export.
2. Select File > Export As...

   The Export options window appears:

   

3. Select Autodesk 3D Scene File (*.a3s) from the file type dropdown menu.
4. Check the appropriate Data Retention options
   • Include original spline/ nurbs data: will write out any referenced spline data into the companion directory for the Scene. If the original spline data is not available (see Import models into your scene) then no spline/ nurbs data will be included.
     NoteHaving this option checked can dramatically increase the file size, processing time, and system resource (RAM) use, depending on the source files for your scene.
   • Include hidden objects: will include any hidden objects in the scene at export. Look in the Organizer (see The Organizer) for objects that are hidden before choosing this option.
   • Include objects in hidden alternatives: will include any objects that are part of model alternatives that are not currently active (see Set up and view model lineups).
   • Include all material textures: will write out any associated image texture files into the companion directory with the scene file. To preserve the visible textures in the scene, this option is checked by default.
   • Include only selected objects: will write out only the objects that are currently selected, while applying any options above.
5. Press the Export Scene button and browse to the location for the file.

Tips and warnings

• When reading the FBX into Maya or other 3D applications, uncheck the FBX import option Import Edge Smoothing. Showcase does not write any edge smoothing information, and this function can add visual artifacts and significant extra processing time to imports in Maya.
• Save your scene before exporting to FBX. The FBX export works entirely in available RAM. If your scene has a large amount of polygons, many LODs, or you have many other applications running, the export may fail to write all the data, and you may lose data in Showcase.
• Export only the objects you want in the FBX. Hide objects that do not need to be in the exported file, and optimize the scene before exporting large heirarchies.