Mesh Importer

Overview

A tool that converts glTF/GLB files to FBX using Blender and imports them into Maya.

Maya does not natively support the glTF format, but this tool enables seamless import of glTF/GLB files by leveraging Blender as a conversion backend.

Requirements

  • Blender must be installed

Blender Path Detection Order

Blender is automatically detected in the following order:

  1. Environment variable BLENDER_PATH (highest priority)
    • Uses the path explicitly set by the user
  2. Standard installation directories
    • Windows: C:/Program Files/Blender Foundation/Blender X.X/blender.exe
      • If multiple versions exist, the latest version is preferred
    • macOS: /Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender
    • Linux: /usr/bin/blender or /usr/local/bin/blender
  3. System PATH (lowest priority)
    • Searches using where blender (Windows) or which blender (macOS/Linux)

Steam versions or portable versions of Blender may not be automatically detected. In such cases, please set the BLENDER_PATH environment variable.

How to Launch

Launch from the dedicated menu or with the following command.

import faketools.tools.model.mesh_importer.ui
faketools.tools.model.mesh_importer.ui.show_ui()

Interface

Input File

Specify the glTF/GLB file to import. Click the ... button to select from the file browser.

Output Directory

Specify the output directory for FBX files and textures. If left empty, outputs to the same directory as the input file.

Shader Type

Select the shader type to use during import.

Option Description
Auto Detect Use materials as included in the FBX
Arnold Convert to Arnold shaders
Stingray PBS Convert to Stingray PBS shaders
Standard Convert to Standard shaders

Import Button

Execute the import based on the current settings.

Processing Flow

  1. GLB to FBX Conversion: Convert glTF/GLB file to FBX using Blender’s headless mode
  2. FBX Import: Import the converted FBX file into Maya
  3. Texture Processing: Extract embedded textures and update paths
  4. Material Conversion: Convert materials based on selected shader type (except Auto Detect)

Command Line Usage

You can also import directly from scripts without using the UI.

from faketools.tools.model.mesh_importer import command

# Basic usage
imported_nodes = command.import_gltf_file(
    file_path="path/to/model.glb",
    shader_type="auto"
)

# With output directory
imported_nodes = command.import_gltf_file(
    file_path="path/to/model.glb",
    output_dir="path/to/output",
    shader_type="arnold"
)

Notes

  • Blender runs in the background during conversion
  • Large files may take longer to convert (timeout: 5 minutes)
  • Textures are extracted to a {filename}.fbm directory