FBX file format
The FBX file format is a proprietary file format owned by Autodesk, Inc. but used as a common interchange format for many products. As of trainz-build 4.5, Trainz uses FBX as a mesh import format.
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Creating an FBX File
FBX files are typically created in modelling software such as Autodesk's 3DS Max, or the Blender Foundation's Blender. Export instructions for these software packages can be found here:
While it is likely possible to create FBX files from a wide range of other software, we cannot guarantee that all software is capable of producing Trainz-compatible FBX files. The more that a given software is commonly used to produce in-game models in FBX format for other games, the more likely it will also work with Trainz.
Importing from FBX
No separate "import" step is required to source a Trainz mesh from FBX format. Content Manager will perform the necessary conversions when importing an asset.
Asset Configuration
The following configuration is used to import from FBX format:
1. The mesh reference in the config.txt file (for example, in the "mesh-table" container) must use a "*.trainzmesh" file extension. 2. If the FBX file contains animation tracks, the anim reference in the config.txt file should be named "<mesh-file-name>_<animation-track-name>.kin". 3. The FBX file must be placed within the asset folder at the indicated location, but with a "*.FBX" file extension. 4. If the FBX file references textures, an image file (eg. "*.tga") or a texture resource (eg. "*.texture.txt") with a matching file name must be present in the same folder as the FBX file. 5. If the FBX file contains animation tracks, an animation event file may be present in the same folder as the FBX file. This should be named "<mesh-file-name>_<animation-track-name>.evt". This is not mandatory.
Submit
As the asset is submitted into the Trainz Asset Database, Content Manager will import the FBX and EVT files, and create a number of matching Trainz-specific files:
- A mesh file is created with the name "<mesh-file-name>.trainzmesh". Any existing file at this path is overwritten.
- One animation file is created per animation track, named as "<mesh-file-name>_<animation-track-name>.kin". Any existing files at these paths are overwritten.
- If necessary, "*.texture.txt" files are created for each source image. Existing files are not overwritten. It is likely that you will want to hand-customise the auto-generated files to configure alpha behaviour or etc.
Deleting Source Files
The source files (FBX, EVT) are not deleted in this process, however you may choose to delete them once the imports have been completed. Trainz will accept files in "*.trainzmesh" and "*.kin" format without requiring any equivalent "*.fbx" or "*.evt" files. You may alternatively leave the source files in place so that other users can load your source mesh directly into their own modelling package.
Open Source
Trainz reads FBX files courtesy of the ASSIMP BSD-licensed mesh importer. This product supports both "text" and "binary" FBX formats, but we recommend using binary format where possible. Our version of ASSIMP includes a small number of modifications to improve the robustness of the importer and compatibility with typical Trainz meshes. While the ASSIMP importer library does support a number of other formats beyond FBX, we do not offer this capability in Trainz at the current time.
