A Blaze Authoring File (bla), when created, will be empty. Geometry must be imported from a 3D data file created using an external package.

Blaze 3D Studio can import 3D in several formats:

• Maya (ma/mb)
• 3DS Max (max)
• Lightwave (lwo/lws)
• 3DS (3ds) - created by many industry standard 3D packages

To import one of these files, either drag it into the Blaze 3D Studio window, or choose 'Import' from the 'File' menu. Importing may take a few seconds. When it is done, the 3D scene will appear in the preview pane.

3D content can be updated by reimporting the 3D file. If the file has the same name as the file originally associated with the bla then it is considered an update and the bla settings will be kept. Importing a 3d file of a different name into a bla that already contains 3D content will cause the old content to be removed. A bla can contain the data of only one 3D file at a time.

Considerations of the various import formats

ma/mb/max

• To import Maya or 3DS Max files into Blaze 3D Studio, you must have the Maya or 3DS Max package installed on your machine. Blaze 3D Studio should find the relevant software automatically, but if it does not you can specify the location using the '3D Importers' section of the Tools->Preferences window.

lwo/lws

• When importing files from Lightwave, be aware that links to textures are referenced absolutely. If you have moved texture files since the project was last opened the Blaze 3D Studio will be unable to find them. You will need to open the lightwave project in its new location and re-assign the bitmap paths.

3ds

• The .3ds file format expects the filenames of referenced textures to be 8 characters or less. Several .3ds exporters (such as Cinema4D) will allow a textured model to be exported that has texture filenames longer than 8 characters. The .3ds file will then contain a truncated filename, and Blaze 3D Studio will be unable to find the textures.
• Skeletal and shape-based animations are not supported when importing .3ds files.