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How to convert Form/Z (.fmz,.fml) to 3D Studio (.3ds)?

PolyTrans|CAD+DCC performs mathematically precise CAD, DCC/Animation, GIS and BIM 3D file conversions into all key downstream 3D packages and file formats. Okino software is used and trusted throughout the world by many tens of thousands of 3D professionals in mission & production critical environments, backed by respectable personal support directly from our core development team.

Form/Z

Form/Z is one of those power house 3D modelers with a deep history. It is a general-purpose solid and surface modeling software which offers 2D/3D form manipulating and sculpting capabilities.

Okino has known of, and associated with, Form/Z since 1994. Being a top notch modeler it has many methods to export 3D geometry data to Okino's conversion software. Of note are: ACIS SAT, DXF/DWG, IGES, STEP, STL, VRML and Wavefront OBJ.

3D Studio

The .3ds file format was the native file format of the old Autodesk '3D Studio R1-R4' software, which was popular up to about 1996 before its successor (3ds Max) replaced it. The file format is a dated, 16-bit, obsolete format. It is limited to triangle geometry, 65536 polygons per mesh, no vertex normals for accurate smoothing, 8.3 DOS filename naming and a maximum of 10 characters for object names.

Please do not confuse the .3ds format with the 3ds Max .max format. You will find throughout the 3D industry that some companies refer to .3ds as the "3ds Max file format" but this is not true. The native file format of 3ds Max is the .max format, whereas .3ds is just a legacy import/export file format ported over to 3ds Max by Tom Hudson during the transition from 3D Studio R4 back in the early 1990s. DO NOT use the .3ds file format to convert to/from 3ds Max but rather use Okino's dedicated PolyTrans-for-3dsMax plug-in system for 3ds Max.

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STEP import converter's overview

3D Studio export converter's overview