Free online FBX to 3MF converter

A slicer or 3D-printing application may require .3mf when a model arrives as an .fbx asset from an animation, game, or visualization workflow. Converting it packages printable mesh data in a format that can also retain units, colors, objects, and—when created by a slicer—build-plate and print settings.

What the FBX format is

FBX (Filmbox) is Autodesk's 3D scene-interchange format, available in binary and ASCII variants. An FBX file can contain polygon meshes, transforms, cameras, lights, materials, textures, armatures, skin weights, and animation data.

Artists and technical teams use FBX with applications such as Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder, Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, and visualization software. It is intended for moving complete scenes or animated assets between content-creation tools, not specifically for 3D printing.

What the 3MF format is

3MF (3D Manufacturing Format) is an open, ZIP-based package specification developed by the 3MF Consortium. Its package can contain mesh geometry, units, colors, materials, multiple objects, build-plate placement, metadata, and application-specific print information.

Compared with STL, 3MF represents units and object relationships more explicitly and can store color and material data without separate files. It is often smaller than an equivalent ASCII STL, although the size depends on the mesh and compression. A 3MF file saved by a slicer may also include printer, filament, and slicing settings; a basic converter normally creates only the model portion.

How to convert the file

Using 101convert.com

1. Open the FBX-to-3MF converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .fbx file, select 3MF as the output format, and start the conversion.
3. Download the resulting .3mf file and open it in a compatible slicer or 3D-printing application.

This free method requires no installed software. It is suitable when the FBX already contains a clean, printable mesh. Inspect the result before slicing because scene features such as animation, cameras, lights, rigs, and application-specific metadata cannot be represented in a standard printable 3MF model.

Using Blender and a slicer

1. In Blender, choose File → Import → FBX (.fbx).
2. Remove cameras, lights, armatures, animation-only objects, and other non-printable content. Keep the required mesh objects.
3. Set the model's dimensions in the Item panel. Confirm that the intended units are millimeters, then apply rotation and scale with Object → Apply → Rotation & Scale.
4. Check for holes, internal faces, self-intersections, duplicate surfaces, and reversed normals. Use Blender's mesh-repair tools or a dedicated repair utility when necessary.
5. Export the selected printable geometry through File → Export → STL (.stl). Enable Selection Only when the scene contains unwanted objects.
6. Open the STL in PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer, or another slicer with 3MF project export. Verify dimensions and orientation, arrange the build plate, then use the slicer's Save Project or equivalent 3MF command.

The STL intermediate removes most scene information and commonly removes textures and vertex colors, but it allows the slicer to repair, orient, arrange, and prepare the mesh before saving a 3MF project.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Scale: FBX files do not always communicate units consistently between applications. Check the measured dimensions in millimeters after import and again in the slicer; a mismatch can make the model 10 or 100 times too large or too small.
• Geometry: A printable mesh should be closed, manifold, free of self-intersections, and have outward-facing normals. Thin walls, zero-area faces, open boundaries, and internal shells can cause slicing errors or missing areas.
• Scene data: 3MF does not preserve FBX animation, skeletal rigs, cameras, lights, NURBS, simulations, or game-engine logic. Export the static mesh pose required for printing.
• Appearance: Textures are not the same as printable color data. A converter or slicer may discard texture paths, vertex colors, material assignments, or unsupported material definitions. Retain the original FBX and texture files if visual appearance must be preserved.
• Multiple parts: Separate FBX meshes may remain separate objects, be merged, or be omitted depending on the converter. Confirm part count, object placement, and whether disconnected shells are intentional.
• 3MF support: Applications implement optional 3MF features differently. A slicer may read the geometry but ignore materials, metadata, or settings created by another program, so verify the imported project before printing.