How to export an animated GLB from SolidWorks, Blender, Maya or 3ds Max

An animated model plays in MeshMarkup when its animation is stored in the file as clips. Export a GLB (or glTF) with animation turned on, or an FBX or DAE, which MeshMarkup converts to GLB in your browser with their clips. CAD exchange formats such as STEP and IGES don't carry animation at all.

#Which format to send

Several clips in one file are fine: each shows by name in the Motion bar's clip list. A clip with no name shows as Clip 1, Clip 2 and so on, so name them before you export.

#Blender

1. 1

   Make sure the animation is in an action

   Each object's animation is an action. Name the actions: the names become the clips.

2. 2

   Export glTF

   Choose File›Export›glTF 2.0 (.glb/.gltf) and pick glTF Binary (.glb).

3. 3

   Check the Animation section

   Keep Animation ticked. To export every action as its own clip, set the mode to Actions.

4. 4

   Export

More detail on materials and size is in exporting a GLB from Blender.

#SolidWorks

SolidWorks can save a GLB through its Extended Reality export (File›Save As, Save as type GLB). Whether a motion study comes with it depends on your version and on the study: check the export's options for animations, and test the file in the free viewer before you send it. If the Motion button doesn't appear, the study wasn't included. A common route is to export the assembly to a tool such as Blender, animate it there and export a GLB.

Don't send STEP for an animation: it keeps the parts and colours but no motion.

#Maya and 3ds Max

1. 1

   Bake the animation

   Constraints, expressions and rigs that drive the motion need to be baked to keyframes for the exporter to write them.

2. 2

   Export FBX

   In the FBX exporter, tick Animation (and Bake Animation).

3. 3

   Upload the FBX

   MeshMarkup converts it to GLB in your browser, keeps its clips and applies the unit stored in the file, so it comes in at the right size.

#Check it before you send it

Drop the file onto the free viewer: if it's animated, the Motion bar opens on its own and the line under the model says how many animations it has. In the app, the model's card on Models shows Animated · N once the model has been opened.

#Common problems

• No Motion button. No clips reached the file. Turn animation on in the exporter, and bake anything that isn't a keyframe.
• Only some parts move. The exporter may have merged parts. Keep the moving parts as separate objects.
• The animation is too fast or too slow. Check the scene's frame rate before exporting. In MeshMarkup you can slow it to 0.25× or 0.5× with the speed button.
• The clip names are odd. They come from the file (Blender actions, FBX takes). Rename them before you export.