Hi, The strong part of FBX was that it started as a native file format (MotionBuilder). Autodesk then has been hacking a lot on top of it... so it might have grown hairy and ugly, but it definitely works and gets used a lot. It's a big shame that Autodesk refuses to make an open standard out of it - even when only partially.
The alternative - Collada - is hardly an option either. When Collada got published nobody was using it natively. Even after 5 years there's no reference stakeholder to make sure the format has a decent user base and momentum. And let's not start the discussion why a 3D media project would use XML formatted text for 3d data... What Alembic would offer - just baked meshes - is probably the best future. Any serious attempt to match rigs, constraints and modifiers between 3d apps is doomed anyway! :) -Ton- -------------------------------------------------------- Ton Roosendaal - [email protected] - www.blender.org Chairman Blender Foundation - Producer Blender Institute Entrepotdok 57A - 1018AD Amsterdam - The Netherlands On 25 Apr, 2014, at 8:47, <[email protected]> <[email protected]> wrote: > This is why I’ve figured Collada may still be better to use -- at least it is > open and ~specified. > > > Does not seem like a good idea to build the future on something secret (and > ugly?) in the long run. > > > ~Toni > > > > > > > > From: Bastien Montagne > Sent: Friday, April 25, 2014 9:45 AM > To: bf-blender developers > > > > > > Tom said the essential. :) > > We had to understand both the binary encoding[1] and format layout[2] of > this ugly thing, > and directly write from the py scripts… Highly frustrating and > time-consuming tasks, esp. > since FBX has some very odd inconsistencies and odd & picky expectations. > > Note that armature and animation support on import side are on my TODO, > just have to find > some time for this, bugs are another frustrating and time consuming task. :/ > > Bastien > > [1] > http://code.blender.org/index.php/2013/08/fbx-binary-file-format-specification/ > [2] > http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Mont29/Foundation/FBX_File_Structure > (still heavy WIP). > > On 25/04/2014 01:45, Tom M wrote: >> The license for the FBX library is incompatible with the GPL, so not >> it is not included. The FBX importer and exporter are based on >> reverse engineering the format. The format is not documented. >> >> LetterRip >> >> On Thu, Apr 24, 2014 at 2:31 PM, Stefano Corazza <[email protected]> wrote: >>> I hear there are improvements coming up... but many users are sending a >>> lot of complaints about FBX import in Blender. >>> >>> A few questions: >>> >>> 1 - Did we include in Blender the FBX SDK or otherwise how are these FBX >>> created? >>> >>> 2 - Right now there is no support for rigged/animated characters in the >>> FBX importer. Is this something anyone is working on? >>> >>> FBX is a very complex format we have deeply studied in the past year, I >>> just want to make sure we have a realistic vision of what is possible. >>> >>> >>> >>> Please please please comment on this post!!! We want to know!!! >>> >>> Thanks >>> >>> >>> Stefano >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Bf-committers mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers >> _______________________________________________ >> Bf-committers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers >> > > _______________________________________________ > Bf-committers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers > _______________________________________________ > Bf-committers mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers _______________________________________________ Bf-committers mailing list [email protected] http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-committers
