This lesson shows you how to export 3ds Max scene data in .fbx format to MotionBuilder. You can export an entire scene, or only a portion of the scene containing selected elements.

Set up the lesson:

• If you are continuing from the previous lesson, from the Application menu choose Reset, do not save any changes, then reopen basics.max.
  NoteIf a dialog asks whether you want to use the scene’s Gamma And LUT settings, accept the scene Gamma settings, and click OK. If a dialog asks whether to use the scene’s units, accept the scene units, and click OK.

Export skeleton A in FBX format:

1. Region-select all of skeleton A.
   

   Notice that the skeleton has been positioned in a “T” pose, the stance commonly used by animators for skinning. You should always place your characters in this position before you export them to MotionBuilder.

   Also, skeletons must be oriented in the minus Y axis direction. (All 3ds Max Biped systems are oriented this way when you create them.)

   

   Skeleton A oriented in a minus Y direction

2. From the Application menu, choose Export Export Selected.
3. In the Select File To Export dialog File Name field, type mybone-skeleton and click Save.
   NoteThe default location for the exported FBX file is the \export folder in the current project.

   3ds Max opens the FBX Export dialog. Here, you specify how to convert the 3ds Max scene information.

   NoteFor conversion to take place properly, you must have the latest FBX driver installed. If this is the first time you have used FBX export, the dialog will prompt you to check for updates. You can also check if you are not sure whether you have the latest version: Click the Web Updates button in the Information group.

   
4. On the FBX Export dialog, expand the Include Animation group, and turn off the Animation check box.
   

   This option should be turned on only when the scene you want to export has animation.

5. Close the Animation group, expand the Embed Media group, and Make sure Embed Media is also turned off (it should be off by default).
   

   If you were exporting a mesh with a character, the Embed Media option would embed in the FBX file any texture maps associated with the character. But since you are exporting a skeleton only, this option is not needed.

6. Expand the Advanced Options Axis Conversion group, and make sure Up Axis displays the Y-Up option (once again, this should be the default).
   

   This setting assigns the exported character a Y-up axis, the orientation used by objects in MotionBuilder. This setting is required because objects created in 3ds Max use a Z-up orientation.

7. Expand the Advanced Options FBX File Format group, and choose the FBX version that is compatible with the version of MotionBuilder installed on your system.
   

   In this case, we have MotionBuilder 2012 installed, so we chose FBX 2012 as the version to export.

8. Click OK to export Skeleton A as an FBX file.

   Typically, you would also export a mesh, properly skinned onto a skeleton. This is what you do in the next procedure.

   Note If both Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 and MotionBuilder 2012 are installed on your system, you don't have to export FBX files. Another choice is to use the new Send To feature. This tutorial will continue to use the FBX method, which works with earlier versions of 3ds Max and MotionBuilder as well. For a demo of using the Send To method, see Mudbox Interoperability with the Send To Feature.

Export the Pepe character:

1. On the Quick Access toolbar, click (Open File).
2. Do not save your scene file when prompted, and from the Open File dialog, choose pepe_biped.max.
   

   Scene consists of a biped skeleton inside a mesh

3. On the main toolbar, click (Select By Name).
   

   The Select From Scene dialog opens, showing both the mesh and the biped. The biped hierarchy uses a naming convention recognized by MotionBuilder.

4. Click Cancel to close the dialog. On the main menu, turn on (Select And Move).
5. Move Pepe’s right foot bone in any direction to see how the skinning controls the character behavior.
   
6. Right-click or click (Undo) to undo the foot motion.
7. From the Application menu, choose Export, and in the File Name field, type my_pepe_biped01.
8. In the FBX Export dialog Embed Media group, turn on Embed Media. Make sure the other export settings are the same as you used for the Bones skeleton, then click OK.
   

   The FBX Exporter displays a warning message. This is because Pepe has a Multi/Sub-Object material that FBX and MotionBuilder don’t recognize. We don’t plan to render Pepe in MotionBuilder (after animating in MotionBuilder, you import the Pepe model back into 3ds Max), so the warning is not important: Click OK to dismiss it.

   You might see an additional warning that says “Unsupported controller (1) / Turned edges (1)”: This is because the Pepe mesh is an Editable Poly object, rather than an Editable Mesh. This doesn’t affect the workflow, so dismiss this warning, too.

   The Pepe character is exported as an FBX file to the same folder as the biped skeleton you saved earlier.

Rename the biped:

1. In the viewport, select any bone in the biped skeleton.
2. Go to the Motion panel Biped rollout, expand the Modes And Display group, and in the Name field, type PEPE.
   
3. On the main toolbar, click (Select By Name).

   The Select From Scene dialog displays the modified names of the character parts. Each bone is now identified by the PEPE prefix.

   
4. Click Cancel to close the Select From Scene dialog.
5. Export this modified scene as you did in steps 6 and 7 of the previous procedure, but name the exported file my_pepe_named.

   In the next lesson, you will use this FBX file to learn how to import custom-named characters into MotionBuilder.

Save your work:

1. Save your 3ds Max scene as my_pepe.max.
2. Exit 3ds Max.

   In the next few lessons, you will be working in MotionBuilder.