Convert glTF to FBX — bridge modern to legacy
You have a modern glTF (text JSON + .bin + textures) and need FBX for Maya, 3ds Max, MotionBuilder or an older Unity/Unreal pipeline. This converter does the round-trip, preserving animations and rigs while degrading PBR to Phong.
gltf to fbx converter · convert .gltf to .fbx · gltf fbx online
Drop a file
glTF
.gltf
Export
FBX
.fbx
Why convert glTF to FBX?
glTF is the future. FBX is still the present in many studios. When a pipeline expects FBX — character work in Maya, motion-capture cleanup in MotionBuilder, asset import on a legacy Unity project — you need to convert.
Going from glTF to FBX is mostly straightforward: animations, rigs, morph targets, scene hierarchy, vertex colors all transfer. The friction is materials. glTF's PBR (metalness/roughness) has no direct FBX equivalent; the converter falls back to Phong with the baseColor used as diffuse and roughness mapped (inverted) to shininess. Texture files come along — the converter follows the JSON's texture URIs and embeds them in the FBX.
Note: glTF is two-file by default (.gltf + .bin + textures folder). The converter accepts a single .gltf file when textures are external; for self-contained imports, package as .glb first or zip the bundle.
What survives the glTF → FBX conversion
Computed automatically from the capabilities of each format.
| Feature | glTF | FBX | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry (vertices & faces) | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| UV texture coordinates | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Vertex normals | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Vertex colors | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Basic materials (diffuse, specular) | — | ✓ | N/A |
| PBR materials (metalness/roughness) | ✓ | — | Lost |
| Embedded textures | — | ✓ | N/A |
| Keyframe animations | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Skeletons & rigs (skinning) | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Morph targets / blend shapes | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Multiple meshes in one file | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
| Parent/child hierarchy | ✓ | ✓ | Preserved |
When you need this conversion
Tips
Common pitfalls
Read these before converting — they save hours of debugging in your engine.
PBR collapses to Phong
glTF's metalness/roughness maps survive as textures but the FBX material is Phong. Most engines rebuild PBR from the textures on import.
External textures need to be packaged
If your glTF references textures by URL/path, drop them next to the .gltf before converting. For self-contained inputs, convert from GLB instead.
Y-up assumption
glTF is Y-up by spec. The FBX inherits Y-up. If your target tool expects Z-up, flip in the importer (not in the FBX).
Animation clip names may need fixing
glTF animations are named in the JSON; they pass through as FBX takes. If your engine wants specific clip names ("Idle", "Walk"), make sure the source glTF has them.