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A free, open-source FBX → Autodesk 3ds Max plug-in for selective mesh-data transfer, custom normals and Skin-aware mesh replacement.
- Update only what changed. Keep the Max receiver. On matching topology, choose shape, UV 1/2/3, materials/IDs, RGB or alpha and write into the existing receiving node.
- Bring smoothing groups and authored normals back together. Transfer hard/soft relationships and custom corner directions, with strict checks and final-direction readback.
- New FBX mesh and weights. Your Max scene bones. Replace a skinned mesh after Skin, bone and binding checks, with a hidden old-mesh backup enabled by default.
Download v1.4.26 with refreshed tutorials · Watch the walkthrough · Quick start · Full tutorial
Dimmens · MIT · Readable Python / MAXScript · Tested on 3ds Max 2023.3.10
Workflows · Shape · UV · Materials · RGB & alpha · Smoothing · Normals · Skin · Install · 中文 / English UI
Historical v1.3.23 Mode 1 result inspection; full workflow below.
The author's historical v1.3.23 Mode 1 walkthrough shows the complete flow: select an FBX, check the match, select multiple channels, transfer, read the normal/channel notices and inspect the result with the existing bones.
Complete walkthrough · 60.43 seconds
Edited tour · 28.93 seconds · waiting sections shortened
Open / download the edited-tour MP4
Click the frame or links to open / download the MP4; behavior depends on the browser. The fixed tutorial snapshot ZIP also includes the full recording and edited tour.
| In the full recording | What to watch |
|---|---|
| Around 0:00 | Select the FBX and run the precheck |
| Around 0:17 | Select the data channels and start the transfer |
| Around 0:46 | Read the custom-normal explanation and missing-UV3 notice |
| Around 0:49 | Inspect the new shape and normal modifier, then rotate an existing bone |
Both cuts use the same author-provided historical recording and retain the important notices. The current UI may differ. Media sources and versions.
Data flows from FBX into the receiving Max mesh. Select the Max mesh first, then the FBX.
| What changed? | Choose | What the plug-in does |
|---|---|---|
| Shape, UVs, materials, vertex data or shading on matching topology | Matching Models / Transfer Data | Keeps the Max receiving node and writes the selected channels |
| Mesh topology and Skin weights | Different Models / Replace / Keep Skin | Uses the new FBX mesh/weights with the Max scene's Skin bones and binding data |
One Max mesh and one FBX mesh can pair directly. Other object-count combinations match by full mesh names. The image above illustrates Max-side selection only. Mode 1 requires stable vertex identity, connectivity, winding and a unique face mapping; equal counts alone are insufficient.
After selecting the Max receiver, use the plug-in's file picker to choose the FBX that supplies the revised data.
Check first, then run: read matches and warnings in Check FBX / Match, then execute the transfer. A passed precheck has not written the selected data yet.
Bring an edited shape back to the receiving mesh without replacing that node. Use this for proportion, silhouette and point-position revisions that preserve topology identity.
| Author's historical example: before | After |
|---|---|
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Try it: choose Mode 1 → leave only Shape selected → Check FBX / Match → Run Transfer. Inspect the shape and original node; check Skin playback on a scene copy when applicable. Leave unrelated channels unselected.
Transfer UV 1 / 2 / 3 independently. Face-corner mapping preserves the distinction between a geometric vertex and its UV seam vertices.
Try it: deselect Shape → select the UV channels actually present in the FBX → check and transfer. In a test copy, inspect the corresponding map channel in Unwrap UVW, including islands, seams and checker stretching. The author's image shows channel 2; select channel 1 or 3 to inspect those transfers.
A missing channel is reported and skipped. The walkthrough deliberately retains its UV3-missing notice so you can see the difference between a completed operation and an uncopied channel.
Update the material object and per-face material IDs together while choosing whether positions or other channels should change.
Try it: select Material / ID, deselect unrelated channels → check and transfer → inspect material slots and the actual face IDs. A UV-only revision can leave materials untouched.
Materials and face-ID tutorial
Bring back RGB color and an independent alpha mask, selecting either or both.
| RGB vertex color | Independent vertex alpha |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Try it: select Vertex RGB and/or Vertex Alpha → check and transfer → inspect the relevant channel using an appropriate viewport display or material. RGB uses map channel 0; alpha uses map channel -2 and is never inferred from RGB brightness.
A valid native FBX smoothing layer takes priority. Where inference is needed, the strict solver validates soft/hard edges and vertex fans against Max's 32-bit smoothing masks. Unsupported or unrepresentable relationships stop the operation.
Try it: select Smoothing Groups → check and transfer → inspect the per-face masks and Select by Smoothing Groups on a test copy. Choose custom normals as well when the authored directions carry information that SG cannot express.
Smoothing-group tutorial and constraints
Transfer FBX custom corner directions and keep them alongside smoothing groups. The SG-aware path retains custom differences greater than 0.1° from the smoothing baseline; written directions are checked after writing and reevaluation.
| Your goal | Select |
|---|---|
| Update smoothing relationships only | Smoothing Groups |
| Keep the Max receiver's SG and bring back custom directions | Vertex Normals |
| Bring back both from FBX | Smoothing Groups + Vertex Normals |
Try it: choose the appropriate combination → check and transfer → inspect the result and retain F2M_顶点法线. This generated modifier is part of the final result: do not delete or collapse it. Detected overriding user Edit Normals / Weighted Normal modifiers stop the operation rather than being silently removed.
The full author video shows the normal-difference explanation and an inspection comparison. Display-line colors indicate editing or selection state; inspect the directions and report to assess the result.
Normal-transfer paths and tutorial
Mode 2 combines the revised FBX mesh and its per-vertex weights with the existing Max Skin's scene bones and binding data. It also handles the FBX vertex Unnormalized and DQ state and reads the completed candidate back before and after commit.
Original workflow schematic, not a software capture or replacement recording.
| Final data | Comes from |
|---|---|
| New mesh, channels, default material and per-vertex weights | FBX |
| Scene-bone identities, Bone Bind/Stretch, envelopes and Skin local data | Max Skin |
| Candidate Mesh Bind | Adapted binding created for the new candidate |
Try it: save a scene copy → ensure each mesh has one valid Skin and the required bones match uniquely → choose Mode 2 → keep Hide old mesh as backup enabled → check and transfer. Inspect weight deformation, world placement and the hidden old backup, then play animation and save/reopen.
The candidate inherits the old Max layer and node display state. Backups enable batch rollback; multiple-object replacements require them. Old parenting, transform/animation controllers, constraints and arbitrary user modifiers do not migrate automatically. A single-object replacement with backup disabled crosses an irreversible old-node deletion boundary.
The recording above demonstrates Mode 1; no complete author Mode 2 recording is supplied. Mode 2 tutorial and data contract.
- Open the v1.4.26 release page, download the complete-project ZIP featured at the top, and extract it. Keep the installer, lowercase
contents/and all other package folders together. - Save your scene and drag
Install_FBXTo3dsMax.msinto a Max viewport. Confirm the installation result before proceeding. - Open
FBX 转 MAX / FBX to MAXfrom the toolbar. Choose EN or 中文, run Self-check, and start with one receiving object in a scene copy.
The plug-in uses Max's bundled Python; a separate interpreter, compiler or administrator access is normally unnecessary. Uninstall with Uninstall_FBXTo3dsMax.ms.
Installation, repeat installation and uninstall · Release notes
| English UI | 中文界面 |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Use Language · 中文 / EN beside the mode heading. Switching retains the mode, FBX, options and check state, keeps exactly one language selected and saves the preference. Known UI/report labels are localized; raw technical diagnostics may retain their original language.
Both real Max 2023.3.10 captures show an earlier 1.4.26 layout. Click either image to open its original size. Media details.
- Full task-based user guide: operation steps, matching, channel contracts, Skin authority and troubleshooting.
- Installation guide: complete package, repeat install, ownership checks, logs and uninstall.
- 简体中文首页 and Chinese full tutorial.
- Media notes: author screenshots/videos, historical versions and original illustrations.
The canopy exercise generates a receiving mesh and edited FBX locally. Try Mode 1 + Shape + UV1, then inspect the transfer yourself; no model download is required.
| Original canopy before | After actual Shape + UV1 transfer |
|---|---|
 |
 |
These native Max 2023.3.10 renders show one installed-copy 1.4.26 run on a 91-vertex, 144-triangle original mesh, with the same camera, material and lighting. See the exercise and media notes for scope.
Real-host qualification used Windows 11 x64, 3ds Max 2023.3.10 and bundled Python 3.9.7. The documented source passed 337 pure regressions, six installed business checks, nine native fault cases and sixteen independent world-point cases, plus the isolated installation/rollback/uninstall chain. TESTING records exact sources and limits; CI runs source checks without Max. This homepage revision changes presentation outside the installed runtime resources.
Max 2024–2026 remain unverified. Small original test scenes do not establish every complex rig, large-asset performance or absence of unknown bugs. Uninstall archives were hash-checked; archive restoration was not exercised.
Check before transfer, then read the execution result and inspect a scene copy. Mode 1 uses per-object transactions, so a later object's failure does not undo earlier successful objects. Mode 2 supports batch rollback with retained backups. Names, selection, importer settings and temporary nodes have restoration/readback safeguards. Actual transfer is synchronous and has no safe mid-operation cancellation.
The repository includes readable Python / MAXScript, installers, tests and tutorials. For a first installation, use the complete-project ZIP featured on the v1.4.26 release page. The automatic Assets → Source code ZIP is the original tag snapshot; main ZIP changes with the branch and is for development.
Have a reproducible issue? Include Max/plugin versions and sanitized steps in Issues. Remove local paths, model names and project information from logs; do not upload private assets.
Contributing · Changelog · GitHub download/update guide
Copyright © 2026 Dimmens · MIT License. Free use, modification, commercial use and redistribution require retaining the copyright/license. Authorized tutorial media does not grant rights to the underlying private models; no private FBX/MAX/BLEND model files are distributed. Autodesk 3ds Max is obtained separately.