Hi:
I am just wondering if it is better to export my asset from 3DS as a FBX file into Unity 3D, or just copy and paste the file as a 3DS file into my asset files in Unity 3D? Is there a performance hit doing it one way or the other?
PS:
You can open 3DS files in unity and not have to export as FBX. I like it this way cause I can edit the assets as needed when changes need to occur.
Check out this page in the Unity manual, it lists the pros and cons of using exported 3D files (such as FBX) versus raw 3D editor program files. .3DS files are in the same list as FBX, so if your preferred editor operates on .3DS files I guess you get the best of both worlds.
There is no run-time performance hit in any case since Unity stores models in its own format after importing (naturally, the geometry of the model can affect performance). If import time is a concern, however, it may be worth seeing if FBX imports noticeably faster than .3DS.