QUOTE(12Monkey @ 01/20/08, 03:01 AM) [snapback]279867[/snapback]
If that is possible, which type of data can maya take from max file.
Max<->Maya is probably the worst conversion there is. (compared to say XSI<->Maya).
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Will rigging infomation be possible?
sometimes, but not for everything. If they are using extrenal rigging plug-ins, forget about it, you are very unlikely to be able to access the data (unless you happen to have the source code for the plugin). Even if you can get at the data, you may not be able to find direct equivalents in the other API. As such, you normally have to generalise the data a bit, which inevitably is a lossy process.
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What if the max scene file contain some expression(maybe max scripts also), will that be readable for maya.
Even if you went to all of the trouble, you'be probably only be able to translate about 10% of the expressions, and badly at that....
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For example:
There is a max scene file which contains a shaded and binded poly character, and bones are rigged which have IK FK controls, and an expression for the tail to have some customized behavior. Then I want to import this max file into maya. Will it possible for maya decode all those imformation and rebuild that character in maya with nothing lost through API?
Chances are you'll be able to do fairly well with the polys, skinning data, and bones. You should be able to more or less get the IK over, but it'll be a close approximation at best. As for the tail expressions, no chance. Of course, if you just sampled the transforms every single frame and dumped them into Maya, then the animation would be transferred intact. The downside would be that modifying the keyframes would be a bit like modifying mocap data, in which case you might as well have done your animation editing in motion builder of endorphin.
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If above is possble, how can I achieve that. I already looked at the maya exporter fact file from your website, but it has not mentioned how to decode other 3D software's scene file and rebuid the scene in maya.
I have also written the XSI exporter factfile, and the max exporter factfile, however that's primarily for internal use within our company and i suspect they wouldn't be too happy in me publishing those documents. After about 8 years of trying to do what you are after, I'm getting a lot closer to doing it (and that's all i do at NM). There are however a miriad of problems that remain, and some things will simply never be at a point where they work 100%. (particle systems spring to mind....). However by far the biggest problem with getting data from 3ds max, is that it's internals are crap. If you want to transfer data between packages, just don't use max - from my experiance only 50% or so of the data you can author in the package is actually going to be available to you - less if you start factoring in plug-ins. Maya, Xsi and Motionbuilder on the other hand give you 100% access.