How to open .FBX files (Autodesk FBX 3D models) on Android, Windows and Linux

FBX is what 3D artists, animators and asset stores hand out: a rigged character from Mixamo, a prop from a game asset store, an export from Maya or 3ds Max for a Unity project. Without Autodesk software or a game engine installed, there’s usually no easy way to see what’s inside one, let alone on a phone.

Folders’ 3D viewer opens FBX files on Android and Windows, including their textures and animation clips. It’s free and works offline.

What is an .fbx file?

FBX began as the file format of FiLMBOX, motion-capture software made by the Canadian company Kaydara. Alias bought Kaydara, and Autodesk later bought Alias, so FBX now belongs to Autodesk, the company behind Maya and 3ds Max.

It’s a proprietary format. Autodesk provides an SDK for reading and writing it but no complete public specification, so other programs either use that SDK or rely on readers built by studying the files. Even so, FBX became the standard way to move animated 3D assets between programs and game engines such as Unity and Unreal, because one file can carry:

• meshes, materials and textures (either embedded in the file or referenced as separate images);
• skeletons, skinning and blend shapes for characters;
• cameras and lights;
• several animation clips (called “takes” or “stacks”).

FBX files come in a binary form (the usual one) and an older ASCII text form, and in many versions. Each file also records its own units and which axis is up, which differ between programs. Maya works in centimetres by default, for example, while Unity works in metres.

How to open an .fbx file with Folders

On Android

1. Install Folders from the download section and allow file access.
2. Find the .fbx in Download, or search for .fbx.
3. Tap it. Larger models show a progress bar while they load.
4. Got it from Google Drive, Discord or email? Choose Open with → Folders there.

On Windows

1. Install Folders and open the folder with the model.
2. Open the .fbx in the 3D viewer.
3. Or right-click the file in File Explorer and choose Open with → Folders (the installer adds this for the types Folders opens).

On Linux, Folders lists, moves and shares FBX files, but its 3D viewer needs a web view the Linux version doesn’t have yet. It offers Open with… instead, so you can hand the file to Blender.

If the model uses separate texture images, keep them in the same folder as the .fbx, or in a textures folder next to it, as they came.

What you can do with it in Folders

• Turn and zoom: drag to rotate, pinch or scroll to zoom, double-tap to frame it again, or let Auto-rotate spin it.
• Animations: choose a clip from the list, or Play all together. A Mixamo character with a walk or dance clip plays right there.
• Wireframe shows the mesh’s triangles, useful for checking how heavy a game asset is.
• Z axis is up: flip this if a model exported from a Z-up program lies on its back.
• Details lists meshes, vertices, triangles, materials, textures, animations and the size in the model’s own units. If a person-sized character reads around 180, the file is in centimetres.
• Ground grid, Axes and Save screenshot, for a sense of scale and a quick preview image to share.

It’s a viewer: no editing, rigging, retargeting or converting.

Other ways to open .fbx files

• Autodesk FBX Review: Autodesk’s own free FBX viewer, for Windows.
• Blender (free): File → Import → FBX handles binary FBX files, but not the old ASCII kind.
• Unity or Unreal Engine, which import FBX directly into a project.
• Maya or 3ds Max, Autodesk’s paid programs that usually make these files.

Problems opening an .fbx file?

• It’s an old FBX version. Folders shows FBX 7.0 (from 2011) and newer, and tells you the version if a file is older. Re-export it from the original program with a newer FBX version, or import it into a program that reads it and export again.
• The model is white or grey. Its textures are separate images saved with a path on the artist’s computer (like C:\Users\artist\textures\wood.png). Get the texture files and put them next to the .fbx, or ask for a file exported with the Embed Media option.
• Only a skeleton, or nothing at all, shows. Animation-only files contain bones and motion but no mesh, such as Mixamo downloads made “without skin”. Download the version with the character included.
• It’s 100 times too big or small, or lying down. Units and up-axis differ between programs. Double-tap to frame it, try Z axis is up, and check the size in Details.

Questions people ask

How do I open an FBX file without Autodesk software? Install Folders on your phone or computer and open the file. Blender also imports binary FBX for free if you need to edit it.

Can I view FBX animations? Yes. Open the model in Folders, then Animations, and pick a clip or play them all together.

How do I convert FBX to GLB or OBJ? Folders doesn’t convert models. Import the FBX into Blender and export it as glTF 2.0 (.glb) or OBJ.

FBX vs OBJ vs GLB: what’s the difference? OBJ holds shapes and simple materials only, with no animation. FBX carries rigs and animation and is the usual exchange format for games and film, but it’s proprietary. GLB is an open standard that also holds animation and is built for apps and the web.

Related guides: how to open .GLB and glTF files and how to open Blender .BLEND files, or browse all 382 file types Folders opens.