Autodesk Maya, Papervision3D, Real-time 3D Engines

Importing Maya 2012 models to Papervison3D

Posted by Kakes on

Maya 2012 has a Collada exporter that enables you to export .dae files. But unfortunately it can’t be read by the Papervision3D Collada/Dae class as the tags don’t match up.

I found that the best way to fix this problem is to use Autodesk’s standalone FBX 2011 Converter; Instead of Maya –> DAE, we need to export from Maya –> FBX –> DAE.

1) Download and install Autodesk FBX 2011 Converter (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=10775920).

2) In Maya, select the objects you want to exort and select File –> Export Selection []. Select FBX export as the export file type and hit Export Selection.

3) Open up Autodesk FBX 2011 Converter UI. Drag and drop the .fbx file you just exported to the Source Files window. On the right side of the UI, change the destination format to DAE Collada and hit Convert.

And huzzah, Papervision can import the 3D model created in Maya 2012 :D

5 Comments Add yours

  1. Stefan says:
    September 26, 2011 at 5:13 am

    Hey! I’ve tried to get around this problem for a while, and I thought I found the answer here on your blog. Unfortunately, the link you posted doesn’t work anymore, because Autodesk released a new version of the FBX converter. This new version exports the maya file to .dae in the same way as Maya 2012 itself. Therefore Papervision3D still can’t load my Maya objects. Do you have the old version of the converter for me? Or know where to find it? Thanx in advance, Stefan

    Reply
    1. Kakes says:
      November 5, 2011 at 4:14 pm

      Try this link. It’s Autodesk’s archive of older versions of the FBX converter.

      http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=10775920

      Reply
      1. stefanhgn says:
        November 7, 2011 at 9:02 pm

        Thanks very much for the link! exactly what I needed! I’m currently on a new capability quest: I just bought a Macbook Air, and I want to install Maya 2012 on it, with the right .dae exporter. Seems they haven’t come up with one that works nice in Lion! But thanx to you i’m designing for paper vision on my iMac now!

      2. Kakes says:
        November 7, 2011 at 9:11 pm

        Let me check it out when you’re done :)

  2. Stefan Hagen (@StefanHagen) says:
    November 14, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    Hey I’m trying to get the FBX Exporter to work with Maya 2012 to paper vision. Still no luck! What I’ve done: I’ve downloaded the 2011 version of FBX converter (v3.0). From Maya, I export to FBX 2011 file. Then I convert to .dae in FBX converter. Doesn’t show in paper vision. Do I have the wrong version of the converter? Because other .dae models (downloaded from the web) work perfectly. Thanx in advance! By the way: i’ve looked at you’re portfolio! Very nice, it looks super smooth! Keep up the good work!

    Reply

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