Note: This section describes limitations with proprietary file formats that use FBX conversion. However, there are two file formats that do not use FBX as an intermediary: SketchUp and SpeedTree. For more information about limitations with these file formats, see SketchUp Settings and SpeedTree.
When Unity imports a proprietary file, it launches the 3D modeling software in the background. Unity then communicates with that proprietary software to convert the native file into a format Unity can read.
The first time you import a proprietary file into Unity, the 3D modeling software has to launch in a command-line process. This can take a while, but subsequent imports are very quick.
Warning: It is recommended that you export to FBX instead of directly saving your application files in the Project. It is not recommended to use native file formats directly in production.
You need to have the 3D modeling software installed to import proprietary files directly into Unity. If you don’t have the software installed, use the FBX format instead. For more information about importing FBX files, see Model Import Settings window.
You import files in the same way, regardless of whether they are generic or proprietary files. However, there are some differences between which features are supported. For more information on the limitations with a specific 3D application, see:
Unity imports Autodesk® Maya® files (.mb and .ma) through the FBX format, supporting the following:
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Autodesk® Maya®, see Exporting from other applications.
Unity does not support Autodesk® Maya®’s Rotate Axis (pre-rotation).
Joint limitations include:
Unity imports and supports any Rotate Order you specify in Autodesk® Maya®; however, once imported, you cannot change that order again inside Unity. If you import a Model that uses a different rotation order from Unity’s, Unity displays that rotation order in the Inspector beside the Rotation property.
Unity imports Cinema 4D files (.c4d) through the FBX format, supporting the following:
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Cinema 4D, see Exporting from other applications.
Unity does not import Cinema 4D’s Point Level Animations (PLA). Use bone-based animations instead.
Cinema 4D does not export visibility inheritance. Set the Renderer to ‘Default’ or ‘Off’ in Cinema 4D to avoid any difference in the visibility animation between Cinema4D and Unity.
Unity imports Autodesk® 3ds Max® files (.max) through the FBX format, supporting the following:
Note: Saving a Autodesk® 3ds Max® file (.max) or exporting a generic 3D file type (.fbx) each has advantages and disadvantages see class-Mesh.
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Autodesk® 3ds Max®, see Exporting from other applications.
Unity imports Cheetah3D files (.jas) through the FBX format, supporting the following:
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Cheetah3D, see Exporting from other applications.
Unity imports Modo files (.lxo) through the FBX format, supporting the following:
To get started, save your .lxo file in your Project’s Assets folder. In Unity, the file appears in the Project View.
Unity re-imports the Asset when it detects a change in the .lxo file.
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Modo, see Exporting from other applications.
Unity imports Lightwave files through the FBX format, supporting the following:
You can also configure the Lightwave AppLink plug-in which automatically saves the FBX export settings you use the first time you import your Lightwave scene file into Unity. For more information, see the Lightwave Unity Interchange documentation.
Tip: For information on how to export an FBX file from Lightwave file, see Exporting from other applications.
Bake your Lightwave-specific materials as textures so that Unity can read them. For information on doing this using a non-destructive pipeline, see Node system in Lightwave.
Unity does not support splines or patches. Convert all splines and patches to polygons before saving and exporting to Unity. For more information, see Lightwave documentation.
Unity imports Blender (.blend) files through the FBX format, supporting the following:
For information on how to optimize importing your Blender file into Unity, see Exporting from other applications.
Textures and diffuse color are not assigned automatically. You can manually assign them by dragging the texture onto the mesh in the Scene View in Unity.
Blender does not export the visibility value inside animations in the FBX file.