Product features

M3GExport for Maya enables developers to export complex, animated 3D scenes from Maya® directly to Mobile 3D Graphics (M3G) file format, the emerging 3D file format for mobile 3D games.

To create mobile M3G applications you'll also need Sun Microsystem's J2ME Wireless Toolkit from http://java.sun.com/products/j2mewtoolkit/index.html or another M3G compliant software development toolkit (SDK).

Download full M3G specification from http://jcp.org/jsr/detail/184.jsp.

Sytem requirements

The system requirements of M3GExport are the same as Maya's. Read more on Maya's system requirements at http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services/maya/system_requirements.shtml.

Platform compatibility of M3GExport

MS Windows 2000/XP/Vista: Maya 5.0/6.0/6.5/7.0/8.0/8.5/2008

Linux: Maya 5.0/6.0/6.5/7.0/8.0/8.5/2008

Mac OS X: Maya 6.0/6.5/7.0/8.0/8.5/2008

Please note that M3GExport is not compatible with Maya Personal Learning Edition (PLE).

Installation of M3GExport on Windows Platforms

Exit Maya

Unzip M3GExport.zip to your personal folder

Copy the plug-in file from M3GExport1.X.X\Windows\MayaX.X\m3gExportLimitedMayaX.X.mll to your Maya's plugin directory.
(Usually C:\Program Files\Autodesk\MayaX.X\bin\plug-ins or C:\Program Files\Alias\MayaX.X\bin\plug-ins or C:\Program Files\AliasWavefront\Maya5.0\bin\plug-ins)

Delete old m3gExport.mll (if you have earlier version) in the same plugin directory

Copy the M3GExport options file from M3GExport1.X.X\Windows\CommonFiles\m3gExportOptions.mel to your Maya's script directory.
(Usually C:\Program Files\Autodesk\MayaX.X\scripts\others or C:\Program Files\Alias\MayaX.X\scripts\others or C:\Program Files\AliasWavefront\Maya5.0\scripts\others)

Copy the dll files from M3GExport1.X.X\Windows\CommonFiles\Libs.zip to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\MayaX.X\bin or C:\Program Files\Alias\MayaX.X\bin or C:\Program Files\AliasWavefront\Maya5.0\bin (you'll probably already have some of them). You may install the dll files directly to C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder.

Start Maya and add m3gExportLimitedMayaX.x plug-in (Windows->Settings/Preferences->Plug-in Manager)

"Reset Settings" in Export menu (File->Export All…->Export All option box) before first use.

Features: What is exported from Maya?

Maya is a very complex 3D design and animation tool, so it is not possible to export everything into M3G. Here is a detailed list:

DAG objects	Exported as (M3G Objects)
Mesh	Mesh, SkinnedMesh, MorphingMesh
NurbsSurface	Mesh (triangulated, static)
Subdivision surfaces	Mesh (triangulated, static)
Camera	Camera
Spot Light	Light (mode SPOT)
Area Light	Light (mode DIRECTIONAL)
Directional Light	Light (mode DIRECTIONAL)
Ambient Light	Light (mode AMBIENT)
Point Light	Light (mode OMNI)
Transform	Transformable, Group
World	World
Joint	Group

Non-DAG objects	Exported as (M3G Objects)
Image Plane	Background
FileTexture	Image2D
Place2dTexture	Texture2D
Material	Material
Blendshape	MorphingMesh
Rigid skin,Smooth skin	SkinnedMesh
Animation curve	KeyframeSequence, AnimationTrack, AnimationController

Other M3G Objects defined by user

CompositingMode

PolygonMode

Fog

Differences between Limited and Standard version

M3GExport for Maya is available in two editions, Limited and Standard.

The Standard version contains sophisticated optimisation options used mostly by commercial game developers.

The non-commercial Limited edition contains almost every feature found in the full commercial Standard version and can be upgraded later.

Most important limitations of M3GExport Limited:

1. Not for commercial use (every file is stamped)

2. M3GExport options do not work

3. No triangle stripping

4. No compression

5. Only implicit vertex indices can be used

6. All images are embedded

7. All image sizes are 128x128 pixels

8. All colors are RGBA, no palettes

9. Vertices encoded as Shorts (not Bytes)

10. Keyframes encoded as Floats (not Bytes)

11. Both sides of triangles are lit and shown

12. No fog

The exported M3G file size is usually a lot larger with Limited version, and the application speed is lot slower.

General differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Export Meshes	Always	Optional
Export Skeletons	Always	Optional
Export Keyframes	Always	Optional
Export Materials	Always	Optional
Export Textures	Always	Optional
Export Fog	Never	Optional
Export PolygonMode	Always	Optional
Export CompositingMode	Always	Optional
Export Lights	Always	Optional
Export Cameras	Always	Optional
Export Background	Always	Optional
Export World	Always	Optional

Precision and Compression differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
ZLib compression	Never	Optional
Triangle stripping	Never	Optional
Tri. Strip indices	Implicit	Explicit/Implicit
Keyframe encoding	Float	Byte/Short/Float
Vertex coord. encoding	Short	Byte/Short
Vertex coord. encoding	Short	Byte/Short
Vertex coord. encoding	Short	Byte/Short

AnimationTrack differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Export Orientation	Always	Optional
Export Scale	Always	Optional
Export Translation	Always	Optional
Export Visibility	Always	Optional
Export Morph weights	Always	Optional

Background differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Image modex X	Border	Border/Repeat
Image modex Y	Border	Border/Repeat
Depth clear	True	True/False
Color clear	True	True/False

Exporting default Maya cameras

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Perspecitve	Always	Optional
Front	Always	Optional
Side	Always	Optional
Top	Always	Optional

CompositingMode differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Depth test	True	True/False
Depth write	True	True/False
Color write	True	True/False
Alpha write	True	True/False
Blending	Replace	Replace/Alpha/Alpha_Add Modulate/Modulate2X
Alpha threshold	0.0	User defined
Depth offset factor	0.0	User defined
Depth offset units	0.0	User defined

Fog differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Fog Color	No fog	User defined
Mode	No fog	Linear/Exponential
Near distance	No fog	User defined
Far distance	No fog	User defined
Density	No fog	User defined

Image2D/Texture2D differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Image placement	Embedded	Embedded/ Separate PNG file
Image size	128x128 pixels	User defined
Image format	RGBA	Alpha/Luminance/ Luminance+Alpha RGB/RGBA
Paletted format	Never	Optional
MipMap filter	Linear	Base_Lever/Linear/Nearest
Image filter	Linear	Linear/Nearest
Texture blending	Modulate	Add/Blend/Decal Modulate/Replace
Default blend colore	Black	User defined

Material differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Vertex color tracking	Never	Optional

Mesh differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Export normals	Always	Optional
Export vertex colors	Always	Optional
Export texture coords.	Always	Optional
Vertex color format	RGBA	RGB/RGBA

MorphingMesh (morph target) differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Export vertex coords.	Always	Optional
Export normals	Always	Optional
Export vertex colors	Always	Optional
Export texture coords.	Always	Optional

PolygonMode differences

Option	M3GExport Limited	M3GExport Standard
Polygon shading	Smooth	Flat/Smooth
Back face culling	None	Back face/Front face/None
Polygon winding	CCW	CCW/CW
Perpesctive correction	Always	Optional
Local camera lighting	Never	Optional
Two sided lighting	Always	Optional