Motion 3D images imported from Blender

Download the latest version of Blender.

Export your model with Universal Scene Description.

Install XCode.

Open the file in XCode.

Export the file with the format .usdz.

Import the file into Motion. :-)

First, I tried out an export out of Blender (the default original cube - which I painted), then opening the model in XCode, but XCode only exported it as .USD (same as the Blender Export). I changed the file type to .usdz and it can be imported and opened in Motion, but none of the texture was included.

I know again how it works.

Export the file as Collada .dae and then from XCode as .usdz. The colors are then saved.

Blender

XCode

Motion

USD has several variants as you've noticed. Motion will support the USDZ format, which simply implies a "zipped" USD file. It contains the geometry, deformation and textures (can also carry other things like audio, but those are not supported by Motion). For some reason as of Blender 2.92 they do not support USDZ export, it's possible they may add it in the future. To convert your Blender models/animations to USDZ there are a couple of options that are all free. :)

Depending on what you are doing I would recommend the following export formats at this time if you are working with Blender.

OBJ- pretty good for non-animated objects (buildings, ridged objects, etc.) this is universally supported by 3D apps, but the texturing structure is pretty old and can be limited. Translation, your textures might not look the same once converted to USDZ, what is used for texture layering has changed a lot in the last 10 years and OBJ is almost 30 years old. It's not bad, just be prepared for some revisions for the materials.

USDA, USDC or GLTF (.glb or .gltf) - These are more modern interchange formats now supported by most 3D software. USDC is probably the preferred USD flavor. I've had better luck with the .glb for animated/rigged 3D objects. I usually export both if i have to (.usdc & .glb) because depending on the software you may get better results in the conversion with one over the other. These are rapidly becoming 3D standards for AR type models.

FBX - This is a more proprietary format that's been around for more than decade. Note, you may have to download special libraries from Autodesk to convert these. I've had mixed results, but you can use this option too.

For making USDZ files, my first recomendation would be Reality Converter, it is free with a developer account sign in (also free). You can convert .obj, .gltf, .fbx and .usd files. I use this frequently for quick conversions or for some basic fixes. It also works well if the 3D software you are using does something funky on export, it happens. Note, you may need to relink your textures, which can be done it the app. This is a good time to point out you should learn about "principled shaders" for materials for that is the preferred way to make textures for USDZ. Search for "Principled Shader" and "Blender Guru" for a great tutorial on the subject.

If you have Xcode installed (again, free) you can use Xcode to convert .obj and .usd files. You can also use Reality Composer to export USDZ scenes, there are a few Preferences you have to use in the app to turn on USDZ export. Reality composer has some "behavior" style tools that can be applied, but they may not be guaranteed to all work. Reality Composer is a bit more for creating ARKit animations than for with Motion.

Thanks!

I've downloaded Blender and XCode. I was surprised to be able to open a .usdz model in XCode - still running Mojave.

It took me awhile to figure out what I needed to do.

First, I tried out an export out of Blender (the default original cube - which I painted), then opening the model in XCode, but XCode only exported it as .USD (same as the Blender Export). I changed the file type to .usdz and it can be imported and opened in Motion, but none of the texture was included. The USDZ variant is not available in the Mojave version of XCode.

It looked like it wasn't going to work at all, but I looked around some more and found a USDZ import/export plugin for Blender:

https://github.com/robmcrosby/BlenderUSDZ

I installed that and, **without** resorting to XCode, I can open a 3D model (example .obj file) and export it as a USDZ file. It still took awhile to figure out what I needed to do because, in Blender, you have to select the model before going to File > Export. It's not as simple as exporting the "environment", but I was eventually successful:

Unfortunately, I do not know Blender's UI well enough to repeat this effort. Opening other OBJ files imports models without textures/materials (just all white shapes) and frequently, exporting results in several errors with the Add-on and failure.

... still working on it...

This *may* be useful to you:

https://github.com/robmcrosby/BlenderUSDZ

Disclaimer: I am not a Blender user nor do I care for USDZ models in FCPX. I only work with 3D Text models.

There are a few steps you have to take to make this work. I remember seeing a video a while ago detailing what format should be exported out of Blender for this. I will see if I can find it.

In the meantime, you may get a faster answer by posting it in the forum at fcp.co, as there are a lot of knowledgeable people there who use Motion as well as FCP - and, I presume, some of them will be quite familiar with Blender too.

Thanks for all this info — it's very useful, except: due to some older software that I am still dependent on, I'm stuck in Mojave for the time being. Reality Converter (and other Apple 3D tools) require OS 10.15 or higher, so I'll have to continue to wait... In the meantime, I cannot advocate or assist in any meaningful way for this type of 3D added to Motion because I can't do anything meaningful with it.