.fbx

What is a .fbx file?

FBX is a 3D interchange format supporting geometry, materials, textures, animation, and skeletal rigs — the standard for game pipelines.

Safe format
Type Cad
By Autodesk
MIME application/octet-stream

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What is it

You're moving a 3D model between applications — from Maya to Unreal Engine, from Blender to Unity, from ZBrush to Substance Painter. The file format bridging them is almost certainly FBX. It's the de facto standard for exchanging rigged, animated 3D assets across the game development and VFX pipeline.

FBX supports geometry, materials, textures, skeletal rigs, blend shapes, animation curves, cameras, and lights — basically everything a 3D asset needs to function in a different application. Autodesk owns the format and provides the SDK, which is why support is near-universal in commercial 3D software. The catch: FBX is a proprietary binary format with no public specification, which means open-source support depends on Autodesk's SDK or reverse-engineering efforts.

Blender (free) imports and exports FBX well for most use cases. Unity and Unreal Engine import FBX natively — it's their expected format for 3D assets. Autodesk FBX Review (free) lets you inspect FBX files without a full 3D application. For web delivery, convert to glTF instead — FBX is for production pipelines, not end-user distribution.

Technical details
Full Name
Autodesk FBX
MIME Type
application/octet-stream
Developer
Autodesk
Magic Bytes
N/A
Safety
.fbx is a known, safe format.
What opens it
Blender
FREE All
Autodesk FBX Review
FREE Windows / macOS
Unity / Unreal Engine
FREE All
FAQ
What's the difference between FBX and glTF?
FBX is a proprietary format for professional 3D pipelines (game engines, VFX). glTF is an open standard optimised for web delivery and real-time rendering. Use FBX when moving assets between professional tools; use glTF for web, AR/VR, and distribution.
Can Blender export FBX?
Yes. Blender's FBX exporter handles geometry, materials, armatures, and animations. Some advanced features may need manual adjustment. For Unity/Unreal import, Blender's FBX export is reliable for standard game assets.
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