The Advanced Settings for Exporting an FBX File

Export Option - Advanced Settings Section

In this section, the check boxes are to be selected according to your target 3D tool. It is highly suggested that you utilize the Target Tool Preset drop-down list if you are not an advanced user.

If you are an advanced user, then please read the following sections before you adjust these settings.

• Max Image Size: This setting decides the resolutions of the texture images to be included into the FBX file. The higher the resolution the better results you get in 3D tools.
  Please note that the original texture images that are larger than the Max. Texture Size will be shrunken down to fit the settings, while the ones that are smaller than the setting remain unchanged.

  Original look in 3DXchange.	Export 256 x 256 texture Result in target 3D tool.
  Export 1024 x 1024 texture Result in target 3D tool.	Export 4096 x 4096 texture Result in target 3D tool.

• Convert Image Format to: Because the supports for textures of different 3D tools are different, you may occasionally want to convert the texture into different format.
  If your target 3D tool is 3Ds Max, then do not choose TIFF; while if the target 3D tools is Unreal, do not choose JPEG from the drop-down list.
• Merge Opacity Texture into Alpha Channel: Activate this box so that 3DXchange fuses the Diffuse and Opacity textures and generate two identical textures containing Diffuse and Opacity data. This check box ensures the opacity result can be displayed correctly in Unity.

  The appearance of the model in 3DXchange.	The diffuse and opacity textures are merged into two identical texture with RGBA data (*.PNG, *.TGA, *.TIFF).
  The result in Unity when the textures are not merged.	The result in Unity when the textures are merged.

• Merge Body Parts as a Single Mesh: This setting is especially for converting an iClone standard character. The body of a standard character is dissected into parts so that you can exchange these body parts in iClone. However, if you do not merge them and export the entire character, you will see gaps between body parts. Please make sure this check box is activated for exporting a standard character.

  The gaps between body parts.	The body parts are merged.

  Note:

  Sculpting and Painting iClone Standard Characters After merging character parts into one integral 3D mesh, you can reload the FBX character into 3DXchange and export it as a one mesh OBJ file with multiple UV textures for sculpting and painting in ZBrush or 3D Coat. Please refer to the Fixing Breaks for OBJ Character Mesh section for more information.

• Reset Scale: The bones of iClone standard characters are not always built with a size setting of 100%; also standard character's bone scales can be redefined in the Avatar Proportion panel. While some 3D tools demand this (such as 3DS Max, Unity and Unreal) or else the animations will display incorrectly, activate this setting to ensure the sizes of the bones are initialized at 100%.
• Rename Duplicated Objects: If Unreal finds that, in a model, there are repetitive names of the Meshes, Bone nodes, or Material categories, then loading the FBX file will fail. Activate this check box to auto-rename the items with identical names.
• Unlink Skinned Mesh and Move to Scene Root: This setting moves meshes that are at lower levels in the hierarchy to the root level
  • Unreal: Activate this setting so that the bone-skinned model animates correctly. The FBX file without the setting can even crash Unreal during the import procedure.
  • Maya or Max: This setting ensures that any iClone standard character can be loaded without hair-offsetting issues.
  • Unity: DO NOT ACTIVATE this check box to ensure all the motions can take effect to the models.
  • Auto Skin Rigid Mesh: After the meshes are moved to the root level, you need to activate this check box so that the meshes that are not skinned can be skinned to the corresponding bones; otherwise when the bones are animated, the meshes will remain where they are.

    The eyeballs do not follow the character's movement.	The eyeballs follow as the character moves.

• Remove Facial Bones But Keep Eyes (enabled if the source model is an iClone standard character with facial bones): Activate this setting so that the facial bones will be removed if you do not want to create facial expressions for the character in Maya or 3DS Max using facial bones, or if you just want to animate the character in game scenes without facial animations. Besides, if the character contains more bones than the 256 that Unreal accepts, the importing will fail.

  All facial bones are kept.	The facial bones are removed except the bones for controlling eyes.

  • Keep Jaw Bone and Teeth (enabled if the source model is a character with jaw bone): Activate this setting so that the jaw bone can be kept for opening the character's mouth in Maya or 3DS Max.

    The jaw bones are kept.

• Delete Extra Pivot Nodes: If you have change the pivot position of a bone-skinned accessory in iClone or 3DXchange, then you may see some redundant bones in the target 3D tool as soon as the character is imported.

  The pivot of the accessory is relocated once it is in iClone.	Redundant nodes show after the character is loaded in Maya.

  Activating this box will cause the redundant nodes to be removed so that you can have a clearer view when editing props or accessories in other 3D tools.

  The redundant nodes are removed.