I am at the character animation step in my project, using 3DSMAX 2009 for my 3D content.
Now i wonder, is there a difference between MAX and FBX files when importing things into unity ?
So far i imported my 3D background directly from MAX files into unity. whith no problems at all.
keeping this way will keep me from struggling with the exporting tool. But every tutorial says that you must use .FBX
So here is the question: Is there a difference for unity between the two formats, if yes, what are the differences, and what is the best format to use ?
When you bring a .MAX file into Unity, it runs 3DSMAX in the background and exports it as an .FBX file invisibly. So in terms of using the file in Unity, there is no difference - it’s an .FBX file either way.
The catch is if you ever share your project with someone who doesn’t have 3DSMAX installed, they won’t be able to use the assets.
Of course you do miss all the advanced settings, the FBX exporter in Max provides. I would’nt want’t to miss them, so i always export to FBX from Max. It’s quite simple, hook a keyboard shortcut to “export selected” in Max, adjust everything to your needs in the Exporter and store the FBX settings in a profile (eg. one for model export only, one for animation export etc…). That’s plain simple and fluent…
Perhaps one advantage of bringing the file to the Unity, is they are updated automatically when saved in Max, while the FBX you need to export before, is not it?
