Ask the Experts: Best Skinned/Rigged Model Export Workflow

[MasterSplinter]

I need to start working on this pipeline -- Any recommendations?  My thoughts were:

• 3dsMax open Collada (I heard autodesk's exporter is a nightmare) to GLTF
• 3dsMax to FBX
• Make your own gltf exporter?
• Straight json... oof

Ideally, I'd like to support morph targets and skinned rigs.  I'd also like to keep as much data as possible in binary format.  

[dbawel]

@MasterSplinter -

Collada has always wanted to be compatible with most every application, however, they have not kept up their format to be fully compatible with many applications as it is far too costly to do as well as impossible to get some of the sorce code they need in any timely fasion. I know this from working with Autodesk and Kaydara before that. This is why Kaydara went on a mission to make the ASCII FBX format a standard for most every CGI application, and succeeded. And this has been maintained since Autodesk aquired Filmbox (MotionBuilder) in 2006.

So especially if you are using 3dsMax, then the ASCII FBX format will support almost every aspect in your scene including al morph targets and skinned rigs - down to the smallest detail. THere are some preparations that you need to make - such as setting a "default" shape key at from 0 or frame 1 before setting any of your morph targets, but this an a few other steps depending on your scene are necessary to create compatability between applications which are vastly different in how they process IK, morph targets, surfaces, etc. And every Autodesk application supports binary FBX files, and many other applications do also. So you can keep all of your files in binary format, until you run into a problem, then simply use the free FBX converter to convert to ASCII.

This is the only pipeline I've discovered which is virtually flawless, and supports every key aspect of your scene between most applications. and can tell you (and I'm guessing @JCPalmer might agree), writing your own converter is ALLOT of work maintaining full versioning compatability; especially when there is a fully supportive and reliable solution.

If you run into any problems or have any questions concerning the workflow or any considerations, please ask. However, this pipeline works so very well, I doubt you'll have any problems or look for another solution - which short of writing your own, there is none. I thought Collada was going to be a Godsend when it was released years ago, spent my $500 to purchase it, and it was virtually useless with uncountable bugs from the very beginning. And for those of you who remember the first standard graphic compatabile format - IGES - we know where that went.

Cheers,

DB

[GameMonetize]

Why not updating 3dsmax exporter?