Exporting FBX for Spark AR

[jmollot]

I'm trying to export a rigged character I made in Maya as an FBX with animation into Spark AR.

I’ve tried exporting the whole rig, and increasingly consolidating it through baking keys to the joints, to the Geo, and even caching the geo. But it all seems to fail! Spark appears to need a skeletal rig to target the animation to (just exporting the baked geo keys as an FBX didn’t animate), however upon importing any version of my rig (with bones) into Spark, it breaks/crazy deformations - the arms are like all broken and inverted and the jaw is super tiny below the body.

The character will import by itself if I delete all the joints and everything besides the Mesh - The joints just seem to break everything. The triangle count is fine, and otherwise I don't see why it's not working.
Is there a key factor in bringing rigged models into Spark/AR that I'm missing?

[jmollot]

Here's the problem with the FBX import, and then how it's supposed to look.

[regalir · Accepted solution]

I am sorry but I cannot really give any meaningful answer. I am not familiar with Spark AR, but it appears that it can only support FBX files up to format 2013. So, from Maya, you have to make sure you export for that version (there is a dropdown in the Export dialog). But even if you do so (which I believe you already did), I have no idea how Spark AR have implemented the import of an FBX file.

One thing you can do to validate that the export generated a proper FBX file, is to re-import it into Maya. If it looks okay, then the "issue" is clearly on the import side of Spark AR, and for this, your best chances are to ask on Spark AR, support channels.

[jmollot]

Holy Crap, changing it to a 2013 FBX worked! I hadn't seen that in the Spark documentation! Thanks

[jmollot]

animation unfortunately still isn't working, however I did manage to get the rig into spark at least. there seems to be something seriously wrong with Maya's ability to export FBX's. It works and then the next time with the exact same settings it won't work. 

[inaugment360]

When you export an effect from Spark AR Studio, a .arexport file will be saved to your computer. This is known as the effect file. This is the file that you upload to Spark AR Hub to start the publishing process. It contains everything your effect needs to work in the camera.

It's important to check file sizes when you're exporting an effect. Effects that are too big won't be approved. Read More

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[ylin003]

Hello there,

I met the exact same problem as you today 😭.

However, I can't fix it by exporting FBX 2013.

I don't know what's wrong with the FBX😢

My FBX works perfectly in Maya and Cinema 4D, except in Spark AR.

I'm wondering if you have another solution for such an issue.

I would love to know!

For the animation problem you mentioned,
I fixed it by importing the FBX into Cinema 4D and exporting it as an FBX again from it.

That fixed the problem!

Thank you!!!

[jmollot]

Hey, try saving you skin weights, then deleting all the history and blend shapes if you have them, then rebind with your skin weights. Then export as fbx 2018 then open that in maya, see if it’s working, and then export that fbx again in 2014/15

[ylin003]

OMG! Jmollot! You're right!!!

Turns out the problem is the skin weight.

I rebound the skin and repainted them. It's good now!

Thank you so much!!!

I'm curious about the reason tho. Cuz my original skin weight works perfectly with animation in Maya and C4D. Even exported it to FBX format and reopened it.

It seems that the skin problem only appears in Spark AR.

🤔

[jmollot]

I think Spark AR has a limit to the number of influences joints can have or something like that– might be 4. its some setting in the skin weight options window. Yeah it’s very frustrating, glad that helped