FBX Mesh 3D Node

FBX Mesh 3D imports static geometry. All the sub-meshes in the file are merged into one mesh with a single pivot and a single transform.

Important: unlike importing through the File > Import > FBX Scene menu, this node imports only the geometry. Animation, cameras and lights in the FBX are ignored. For a full animated scene, use the import menu instead (it automatically creates several connected nodes).

• Effects Library: Tools > 3D > FBX Mesh 3D
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > 3D > FBX Mesh 3D
• Import menu (full scene with cameras/lights): File > Import > FBX Scene…

• FBX ascii (.fbx) - text mode FBX
• FBX 5.0 binary (.fbx) - binary mode FBX
• AutoCAD DXF (.dxf) - CAD
• 3D Studio (.3ds) - legacy 3D Studio Max format
• Alias OBJ (.obj) - Wavefront
• Collada (.dae) - open standard

FBX remains the most reliable format for exchanging with Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D or 3ds Max. OBJ is handy for simple static models (asset stores, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer).

• SceneInput (orange) - optional. Lets you combine the imported object with other geometry in the same data stream.
• MaterialInput (green) - accepts a 2D image (used as diffuse) or a 3D material. When a 3D material is connected, the basic material tab is disabled.

Two ways to import an FBX:

1. Add an FBX Mesh 3D in the Node Editor, then click Browse to pick the file. Creates a single node, merged mesh, no animation.
2. File > Import > FBX Scene from the menu. Creates several nodes (one per mesh, camera, light) and keeps the animation. Better for a rich scene.

Enable Fusion > Preferences > Global > General > Auto Clip Browse so the file browser opens automatically as soon as an FBX Mesh is added.

Size (default: 1.0)

Slider to adjust the scale of the imported mesh. Very useful: FBX meshes are often much larger than Fusion's default scale (1 unit ≈ 1 meter). An FBX model exported in cm from Maya comes in at 100x the expected size - set Size to 0.01.

FBX File

Path and name of the linked file. The Browse button lets you pick another one.

Object Name (read-only)

Name of the imported mesh. This field is only filled in if the import was done through File > Import > FBX Scene.

Take Name (read-only)

Name of the animation take. Appears for files that contain several takes.

Wireframe (default: off)

Displays the mesh as a wireframe. Works with a Renderer 3D in OpenGL mode.

Fusion offers two nodes to import external geometry: FBX Mesh 3D and Alembic Mesh 3D. Each has its purpose.

FBX - for complete scenes

Contains lights, cameras, materials, hierarchies. Ideal for receiving a scene built in Maya/Blender with all its components. But FBX Mesh 3D (this node) only retrieves the geometry - for cameras and lights, use the import menu.

Alembic - for baked animation

Alembic is built for "point caches" (baked per-vertex animation). It performs better on very dense animated meshes and keeps the animation accurate even when the topology changes. Prefer Alembic for fluids, cloth simulations and complex deformations exported from Houdini.

Rule of thumb: FBX for cameras/lights/rigs, Alembic for complex animated meshes.

• Scale - always check the Size after import. If the mesh is invisible in the viewer, it is probably at 100 or 0.01 scale - zoom out or adjust.
• No animation - if you expected an animated rotation and you see a frozen mesh, that is normal. Use the menu import or go through Alembic.
• Broken normals - some FBX exports have inconsistent normals. Chain a Replace Normals 3D to recompute them.
• Missing textures - FBX materials often point to absolute paths on the source machine. Reassign your textures manually through the MaterialInput input with a Fusion shader.
• Huge OBJ files - OBJ is ASCII by default, so a 500k-vertex mesh easily weighs 100 MB. Prefer binary FBX for heavy meshes.
• If your DAE or 3DS file causes problems, re-export it to FBX through Blender - more reliable and better supported.

The Materials, Transform and Settings tabs share the options common to 3D nodes: visibility, lighting, matte, blend mode, normals, object ID, and transforms (position, rotation, scale, pivot).