Maya Bundle Exchange
Build a Maya asset library: create assets, migrate MA/MB/FBX files, organize variants and place them in your scene.
Build a Maya asset library: create assets, migrate MA/MB/FBX files, organize variants and place them in your scene.
Explore 20 illustrated topics with step-by-step workflows and explanations of the controls: library setup, asset creation, MA/MB/FBX migration, variants, previews, viewport placement, team reviews and portable scene exchange.
Troubleshooting & Diagnostics
Resolve common migration, placement, preview and package-integrity problems before reusing or handing off an asset.
Library and browser
Start with the symptom and verify the underlying package before rebuilding anything.
- The library appears empty
- Check the library path and access permissions, clear text/category/tag filters, then Refresh. Use Settings > Rebuild if the local catalog is stale.
- A removed asset returns
- Remove from Index leaves the package on disk. A scan can discover it again.
- An edit fails on a shared library
- Check write permissions and whether another operation is using the library. Review the reported error before retrying; do not remove library state files blindly.
- Panels are missing
- Use Show Inspector or Reset Layout in Browser options; check Compact/Wide layout mode.
Capture and placement
Preview images and viewport placement have different requirements.
- Capture fails or shows a placeholder
- Use a valid Maya model viewport and selected transforms. Try capture again or Choose Image…. The chosen image must decode and be no larger than 32 megapixels.
- The browser image is correct but Explorer is stale
- Run Refresh Windows Previews… and account for Windows thumbnail caching. Check Settings > Integration if no MBX thumbnails appear.
- Viewport placement is unavailable
- Check that the package has placement information and Maya integration is loaded. Restart Maya after a tool update, or use Import/Reference at Origin when interactive placement is not available.
- Snapping seems unexpected
- Check Snap to Surface and Additional snap step in Settings. Release X, V or C to return to the configured behavior.
Migration and dependencies
Use the row diagnostics or Scene Explorer to repair the actual source problem.
- mayapy or FBX importer unavailable
- Use the installed Maya environment and ensure its required components are available. FBX conversion needs Maya’s FBX importer.
- Missing or ambiguous textures
- Repair the source scene paths. Migration resolves against the owning source scene/project and does not borrow a same-named texture from the current working project.
- WARNING after conversion
- Read the diagnostics: the package may have missing textures, a preview problem or embedded reference information. Inspect the result before reuse.
- SKIPPED output
- An output name already exists. Change the reviewed name/category if you intend to create a different package.
- FBX looks different
- Check materials, units, animation and tiled-texture/image-sequence settings. The package contains Maya’s imported FBX result; FBX is not lossless for every Maya feature.
- Integrity check fails
- Keep the failure report and obtain a known-good package copy. A catalog rebuild cannot repair corrupt package contents.
- Unknown nodes or missing renderer
- Install/load the appropriate compatible plugin on the receiving workstation. MBX transports resources, not plugin installations.
How do I install and open MBX?
Install Maya Bundle Exchange through AO.Hub with your free account. Launching MBX opens AO Asset Browser. In Settings, choose an existing writable folder for the library. After an update, restart Maya so all changed modules and the placement plugin reload.
Can I import existing MA, MB and FBX files?
Yes. Drop files onto the browser asset area or use Add Asset > Migrate Asset Files… to scan a folder. Review names, categories and checkboxes, then choose Migrate checked. One source file becomes one MBX asset; the converter does not split each object into its own asset.
Does migration change my source files or open Maya scene?
No. Each source is processed separately from your working scene. The source file remains untouched and an existing output name is skipped. Keep source and destination folders separate, with neither folder inside the other.
What happens to MA/MB references?
Referenced MA/MB scenes are loaded and embedded into the migrated scene, including applied reference edits. The new asset contains their effective scene content, rather than the original editable reference hierarchy. Keep your original source project when you need that hierarchy.
Where does migration look for textures?
MA/MB paths are resolved from each owning source scene and its source project, including relevant nearby sourceimages or textures folders. The current working project is not used as a fallback. Ambiguous matches are reported instead of choosing a same-named image arbitrarily.
Why did an asset get a WARNING instead of READY?
A package was created, but its report contains information to review, such as missing textures, preview issues or embedded references. WARNING does not always mean the package is unusable. Select the row and inspect its diagnostics before reuse.
Can I reject files with missing textures?
Yes. Turn off Package with missing textures before migration. It is enabled by default. Missing references, other blocking dependencies, unknown required nodes or geometry-free inputs can still fail even when missing textures are allowed.
What should I check after converting FBX?
Check materials, texture paths, animation and scale in Maya. FBX import can lose Maya-specific tiled-texture or image-sequence settings. MBX packages the result that Maya imports; it does not turn FBX into a lossless Maya scene format.
What happens to duplicates, failures and cancellation?
An existing output filename is SKIPPED; edit the asset name or category to create another output. FAILED rows report their error, and the batch continues with other files. Cancel waits for the current operation to finish safely and stops before the next asset; completed packages remain available.
What is the difference between Import, Reference, Open and Unpack?
Import adds content to the current scene; Reference creates a Maya reference to the extracted asset content. Both load resources from a managed local cache. Open replaces the current Maya scene after checks. Unpack Scene collects the opened MBX scene and its resources into a Maya project or directory.
Which data travels in an MBX package?
The package includes the scene data, collected resources, previews, asset metadata and integrity information. Library review notes and tag colors are separate shared library records; favorites and recent history are local.
Why do I still need Maya and renderer plugins?
MBX carries detected resource files, not installed Maya plugins or renderers. Use a compatible Maya installation with the required plugins. Migration also needs the mayapy runtime supplied with Maya; FBX input needs its FBX importer.
What does Remove from Index do?
It removes the browser index entry but keeps the .mbx file on disk, so a refresh may rediscover it. Delete Variant Permanently… deletes that variant package; Delete Asset Permanently… deletes the family packages. These are different operations.
Which platforms are listed as supported?
The website lists Windows and macOS for AO Studio Tools. Windows Explorer thumbnails and file association features apply only to Windows.