How to export to .obj or .fbx whilst preserving layers for import into unity?

[Anonymous]

 Hi everyone

I am a beginner here but I have scoured the internet and the forums and haven't found a solution!

The problem is this:

I have a model in 3Ds Max which is in NURBS.

The model is composed of many objects

I have grouped the objects into layers

I need to export the model as either a .FBX or a .OBJ for import into Unity

I need the exported model to preserve the layers I have

When I export, the model is exported with no layers and so all the objects are separate in one layer.

HELP ME!

[blakestone]

The 3dsMax and Unity Layers are used to organize objects in the active scene however function quite differently. The 3dsMax Layer information is unique to 3dsMax and is not included in exported file formats such as FBX and OBJ.

What is it you're trying to achieve?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the explanation. I am trying to create a unity app for android that can view models and turn on and off layers. I mean layers in the sense of part of the model that can be hidden or shown. We have to texture the models in 3ds max then export them to obj or fbx. this model then has to be opened in unity and inserted into the app for use.

[blakestone]

I have done something similar in the past, an easy way to achieve this is to assign a unique Material ID to each component you wish to show/hide in 3dsMax and then in Unity you can assign/switch materials with a Transparent Material to show/hide components.

In my scenario it was characters which had multiple things on them: harness, hats, toolbelt, jackets, shoes etc. all objects were on that character then we would hide (using the transparent material) all the things we didn't want to show at that time.