Flexible 3D file types

[inesevaldmane]

Hi there.

My company has decided to re-create and reorganize our 3d and 2d file library. Our main issue is that currently we work in at least 4 different modelling softwares and 2 rendering softwares. We would like to create an organized library, which would consist of 1 universal 3D file type and is hopefully generic enough, that it can be used with multiple render engines without having to do much texture adjustment.

So in a perfect scenario we could simply import the 3D file in our modelling software and not have to readjust materials. Has anyone dealt with something like that? Is it even possible to have such a neutral model file without compromizing the quality?

Thank you

[Tom Bussey]

Fbx?

[Francisco Penaloza]

I thought someone else would jump on this.

Inese, welcome to our website, You question is the long-standing question and issue not only to our industry but also to everything related to the generation of 3D imagery.

There are many, and I mean many 'standard' formats or should I say try to be the standard format, but because each egocentricity sofware company they never worked as they should.

We have 3Ds, Obj, FBX, Collada, Alembic and many other, the latest is the one trending now mostly because movie industry and large productions are trying to develop their own because of the same necessity to sharing files between companies and studios.

 

For our industry, Arch Viz, FBX is the closest that we got so far, but if you use Arnold and I use VRay then we will have to rebuild the shaders.

For me, I am trying to move in using more textures control specularity and similar properties using Allegorithmic Substance products, that way we can keep some consistency. between the app that we work in our company, that are very far from each other, 3D Max, Lumion, Enscape.

 

There is a new-ish trend called PBR and hopefully, all render engines implement them so we all could, in theory, rebuild our shaders with not much work and keep consistency between different environment.

Sorry long post, but really there is not a straight answer to your question because the problem is complex and sadly it been like this for a long time.

Best luck.

[Lewis Garrison]

Depending on the size of the company it might be easier to narrow down the different types of software everyone uses instead of editing the entire library. Of course there's nothing wrong branching out and using different software, but there should at least be an office wide standard that everyone knows and starts with. That's what the library format should start as.

[James Vella]

which 3d softwares do you use and what render engines do you use?