What is FBX?

FBX has been the default handoff format in games and film for years. It carries meshes, materials, skeletons, skin weights, blend shapes, cameras, lights and animation, which makes it the usual way to get a rigged character from Maya or Blender into Unity or Unreal.

Strengths

• Native import in Unity and Unreal Engine
• Handles complex rigs and multiple animation takes
• Supported by nearly every commercial 3D package

Weaknesses

• Proprietary and loosely documented, so exporters and importers don't always agree
• Material translation is unreliable. Expect to reassign textures after import.
• Scale and axis issues (centimetres vs metres, Y-up vs Z-up) are common

FBX or GLB?

For static models and anything web-based, GLB is simpler and more predictable. For animated characters going into Unity or Unreal, FBX is still the safe choice. Our 3D file formats guide compares them side by side.