Animation export settings

You can export animation data from a third-party software, such as Blender or Maya to use in Studio. Both .fbx and .gLTF formats support animation data.

Typically, creators will use a third-party modeling tool to animate a character model. Once the animation is complete, you export both the model and the animation data into Roblox Studio.

After exporting, you can import and configure the animation data into Studio.

Before exporting

When exporting characters with animation or FACS animation, ensure that your animation timeline Start and End include the entire range of your animations.

Blender

Blender allows you to export in .fbx or .gltf as well as other formats. If you are using .fbx export, familiarize yourself with Blender's FBX scaling to ensure that you successfully import the model into Studio at the correct scale.

1. In the topbar, click File > Export > FBX (.fbx). The Blender file browser window displays.
2. Set Path Mode to Copy and enable the Embed Textures icon.
3. In the Include section, enable Custom Properties.
4. Set the Transform > Apply Scalings to FBX Unit Scale. If you run into scaling issues on import, see Blender FBX scaling for alternative approaches.
5. Expand the Armature section and uncheck Add Leaf Bones.
6. Enable Bake Animation.
7. Expand Bake Animation and uncheck NLA Strips, All Actions, and Force Start/End Keyframes.

   1. Ensure your project animation timeline has the correct Start and End range of all your keyframes.
8. In Bake Animation, set Simplify to 0.0.
9. Click the Export FBX button. Save the .fbx to the directory of your choice.

Maya

For additional context on exporting animations from Maya, see the Exporting Characters from Maya tutorial.

To export a mesh in Maya as a .fbx file:

1. In the topbar, click File. A pop-up menu displays.

2. Select Export All. The Export All window displays.

3. Near the bottom of the window, click the Files of type dropdown, then select FBX export.

4. On the right-hand side of the window, navigate to the Options... section.

5. In the Geometry section, enable Smooth Mesh and Referenced Asset Content.

6. In the Animation section, enable Animation. Avatar characters with facial animation data require animation data.

7. Enable Bake Animation.

8. If you need to import textures as a .png, in the Embed Media section, enable Embed Media.

9. In the Advanced Options section,

   • Navigate to Units, then enable Automatic.
   • Navigate to Axis Conversion, then set the Up Axis property to Y.

10. Click the Export All button.

    

11. After exporting, use Studio's Importer to import your model. See Test characters in Studio for additional importing and testing information.