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Standards body Khronos Group has released glTF 2.0 Importer\/Exporter for Autodesk 3ds Max<\/a>, a pair of free plugins for importing and exporting data from 3ds Max in glTF format.<\/p>\n The tools \u2013 previously a commercial add-on, but open-sourced through Khronos Group\u2019s sponsorship \u2013 finally give 3ds Max users a free way to get glTF files into the software.<\/p>\n A lightweight 3D file format supported in most DCC applications and game engines<\/strong> It is now widely supported in DCC applications and game engines, including Blender<\/a>, Cinema 4D<\/a>, Houdini<\/a>, Unity<\/a> and Unreal Engine<\/a>.<\/p>\n The major applications missing from that list are those developed by Autodesk.<\/p>\n 3ds Max has been able to export glTF files since 2022<\/a>, but does not import them natively<\/a>, while Maya doesn\u2019t do either<\/a>.<\/p>\n An open-source, Khronos-supported 3ds Max importer and exporter for glTF and GLB files<\/strong> glTF 2.0 Importer\/Exporter for Autodesk 3ds Max was previously an $80 commercial plugin<\/a>, but Khronos contracted its creator, Satoshi Hayashi, and developer Josef Wienerroither, who maintains a number of other 3ds Max import and export tools<\/a> \u2013 to make it open source.<\/p>\n It brings in the \u201cfull range of scene content \u2026 that artists expect\u201d from imported .glTF and .glb files, including meshes, cameras and lights, supports glTF extensions<\/a> for PBR materials, and Khronos extensions for animation, lighting and instancing.<\/p>\n Khronos says that it intends to continue backing the project, and will add support for new glTF technologies in future, including the interactivity extension<\/a>, which makes it possible to embed behaviors in glTF files, and the upcoming glTF 2.1<\/a> spec.<\/p>\n Doing what Autodesk itself has not<\/strong> Autodesk is a Khronos Group member, and when it joined in 2019<\/a>, one of the stated reasons was to support the glTF file format.<\/p>\n Khronos Group President Neil Trevett told CG Channel that the project had been a \u201cunique opportunity to [make] established 3ds Max plugins open source, while upgrading their support for the latest glTF functionality\u201d, and that \u201cmany creators appreciate open-source toolchains\u201d.<\/p>\n Autodesk \u201ccontinues to be a Khronos member and supportive of glTF\u201d.<\/p>\n Khronos currently has \u201cno project plans\u201d for an equivalent Maya glTF importer\/exporter.<\/p>\n License and system requirements<\/strong> Read more about the 3ds Max glTF plugins on Khronos Group\u2019s blog<\/a><\/p>\n Download the free glTF 2.0 Importer\/Exporter for Autodesk 3ds Max from GitHub<\/a><\/p>\n Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>. As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don\u2019t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.<\/p>\n \t\t\t
Designed as a lightweight file format for 3D assets, for use in web and real-time applications, glTF<\/a> is one of the open graphics standards overseen by the Khronos Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Although there are a number of commercial third-party glTF importers for 3ds Max, users now have a free, Khronos-backed option.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s noteworthy that Khonos has felt the need to sponsor an open-source project rather than relying on Autodesk itself to implement full native glTF support in 3ds Max.<\/p>\n
glTF 2.0 Importer\/Exporter for Autodesk 3ds Max is compatible with 3ds Max 2020+. It\u2019s a free download. The source code is available under an open-source Apache 2.0 license<\/a>.<\/p>\n