Difference between MB and MA scene file.

[Thiird]

Hi everyone.

I was wondering what's the diffrence between a maya binary file and ascii file.

What are the advantages of using one instead of the other one?

Even tecnical answers are appreciated.

Thanks.

[n8skow · Accepted solution]

In a binary file - numerical data is stored exactly as it is represented internally, making it faster for the system to read. It is also more compact (versus ASCII).

One advantage of saving in ASCII is that the data can be easily read - such as opening the file in a text editor - if for some reason you need to tweak something manually, or handle the data in a external app/plug-in...

ASCII files also seem to be more recoverable in the event of data corruption (though mileage may vary greatly).