FBX Format
The FBX format (Filmbox) is a proprietary 3D file format initially developed by Kaydara, a company that was later acquired by Autodesk in 2006. FBX is designed to provide interoperability between different 3D software applications, allowing for the exchange of 3D models, scenes, and animations.
History
- 1996: Kaydara introduces Filmbox, a software suite for digital content creation which includes the FBX file format.
- 2000s: FBX becomes widely adopted in the film, game, and architectural industries due to its ability to transfer data across various platforms.
- 2006: Autodesk acquires Kaydara, integrating FBX into their ecosystem, significantly boosting its adoption rate.
- 2011: Autodesk releases FBX SDK under an open-source license, allowing developers to create their own tools for reading and writing FBX files.
Features and Capabilities
FBX supports the following features:
- Geometry: Meshes, NURBS, curves, and surfaces.
- Animation: Keyframes, motion capture, and skeletal animations.
- Materials and Textures: Support for complex shading networks, including textures, shaders, and materials.
- Lighting: Lights, cameras, and other scene setup elements.
- Custom Data: User-defined properties can be embedded into the FBX file for custom applications.
File Structure
An FBX file can be stored in either binary or ASCII format:
- Binary: More compact and faster to read/write, but not human-readable.
- ASCII: Human-readable but larger in size and slower to process.
Applications
FBX is widely used across various industries:
- Film and Animation: For transferring character animations, models, and scenes between different software like Maya, 3ds Max, and Cinema 4D.
- Gaming: To import 3D models and animations into game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine.
- Architecture and Visualization: For sharing models between architectural software like Revit and visualization tools.
Advantages
- High compatibility with leading 3D software.
- Ability to handle complex animations and detailed models.
- Support for advanced features like custom properties and user-defined data.
Disadvantages
- Proprietary nature means full access to the format's capabilities requires Autodesk's SDK.
- File sizes can be large, especially in ASCII format.
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