Smoke supports the import of 3D data saved in the Alias FBX format.

The FBX standard format provides a means for exchanging 3D data—3D polygonal models, cameras, lights, keyframe animation—for scene compositions between tools and packages developed by different manufacturers.

FBX support makes it possible to import and export 3ds Max, Alias Wavefront, Maya, Softimage XSI, and LightWave 3D formats. You can import models, scene compositions, lights, and camera data.

You can also export camera data. See Importing and Exporting Cameras for information on how to export an FBX camera.

To import FBX format data in Action:

1. Do one of the following:
   • Drag the Import node from the node bar and place it in the schematic.
   • Drag the Import node from the node bar and place it where you want it in Result view.
   • Double-click the Import node. You do not need to be in Schematic view to add a node in this manner.
2. In the Import menu, select FBX as your format type.

   
   

   NoteOnly polygonal models can be imported into Smoke. Nurbs and skins, for example, are not supported.
3. Select which type or combination of types of FBX files you wish to display by clicking the corresponding filter button.

   Enable:	To:
   Lights	Import lights from the FBX format file.
   Cameras	Import cameras from the FBX format file. Free cameras are imported as target cameras (with a point of interest).
   Models	Import models and 3D geometry from the FBX format file.
   Normals	Import the models' normal information.

4. To use the frame rate of the FBX file as the frame rate in Action, enable Keep FBX Frame Rate.
   TipIt might be useful to enable Keep FBX Frame Rate when importing an FBX file before starting to build your animation, otherwise the timing of your animation may be affected.
5. To add a keyframe at every frame of the imported FBX file, enable Bake FBX Animation. When disabled, Smoke translates the FBX keyframes to a comparable animation curve in Action. Experiment with this option enabled and disabled to get your desired results.
6. To change the scale of the imported FBX file to fit the scaling in Smoke, enter a value in the FBX Unit to Pixels field. One unit in your FBX file (default is cm) is converted to the number of pixels that you specify. The default value is 10 pixels, which applies a 10x scale to all the geometry vertices and axes translations.
7. Navigate to the location where the FBX files are located.
   NoteMake sure that any textures referenced by the FBX files are in the same directory you are importing from.
8. Select a file from the file browser.
9. Click Load.

   The FBX data is imported into Action.