In this video, I want to introduce you to a small free tool from Autodesk that converts ASCII FBX files into binary format, allowing them to be imported into Blender using the default FBX importer.
Video Transcript
https://aps.autodesk.com/developer/overview/fbx-converter-archives
Hello everyone! In this video, I want to introduce you to a small free tool from Autodesk that converts ASCII FBX files into binary format, allowing them to be imported into Blender using the default FBX importer.
I will also show you how to fix a shading issue that can occur when importing certain models.
I have encountered cases where I purchased or downloaded some FBX files, like the Brachiosaurus model I will use as an example. This 3D model package includes several FBX files in which the Brachiosaurus is already rigged and animated, for example, to play a walk cycle.
However, when trying to import one of these FBX files into Blender via File Import FBX, we get an error message stating that Blender 4.3 cannot import ASCII FBX files.
In these files, the information is stored in plain text, as you can verify by opening them with a simple text editor.
In the video description, you will find a link to the FBX Converter, which is available for Windows and Mac.
Once this tool is installed, simply load an ASCII FBX file and choose the conversion to binary FBX format. You can also specify whether to include media, such as Textures for materials, if available.
Now, you can import the binary FBX version of the model, complete with armature and animation, into your Blender project.
If you encounter shading issues like the ones shown in the video, you need to open the Geometry Data section in the Object Data Properties tab of the model and click on the Clear Custom Split Normals Data tool.
Finally, hide the armature, check that the Textures are properly assigned, and just like someone once said, now we can make a baby dinosaur!
