For a jointed, animated hero avatar: Marvelous Designer recommends FBX or Alembic for avatars with joints or animation cache.
- For avatars without joints, it also lists OBJ, FBX, Alembic, and OpenCOLLADA.
- Choose CLO when the immediate task is fitting garments to a clean body scan or custom body model.
- Consider Maya when the task is simulating a mesh garment against an animated character in the production scene.
If your game or VFX team already has a jointed hero avatar, start with the type of animation data inside the file, not its extension alone. Marvelous Designer's custom-avatar import guide recommends FBX or Alembic for an avatar with joints or an animation cache. It also lists OBJ, FBX, Alembic, and OpenCOLLADA for avatars without joints, giving teams a clear route for both rigged and static inputs.
The distinction that matters to an animation team is whether the documented path matches a rigged cache, a set of pose keyframes, a static body shape for garment fit, or cloth simulation against an animated character in the production scene.
Check the avatar data before choosing a suite
An avatar file can represent a body shape, a skeleton-driven character, or a sequence of changing shapes. Joints connect a mesh to a skeleton so it can take poses; an animation cache stores changing geometry over time. A team should inventory which of these its character file actually contains before opening a garment project.
Comparison table Scroll to view every column ↔
| Check | What to identify in the character asset | Why it changes the software choice |
|---|---|---|
| Source and purpose | A body scan for realistic measurements, a third-party character model, or a production hero asset | A scan-to-avatar workflow serves fitting to a body shape; a rigged character workflow must also account for articulation or motion. |
| File format | The exact export, such as OBJ, FBX, or Alembic | Vendors document different supported formats for different kinds of avatars. Use the format that matches the asset and the needed data. |
| Joints or skeleton | Whether the character has a rig, and whether the file preserves its joints | A static mesh provides a body surface; a jointed asset can be used for pose-driven evaluation when the receiving workflow supports its rig data. |
| Animation data | Whether the file contains animation cache or discrete pose keyframes | Marvelous Designer distinguishes joint animation from cache animation in its FBX import options. Maya's FBX importer offers options for animation, geometry cache, skin, and blend-shape data. |
| Body-mesh preparation | Whether the scan or model has clean geometry and the intended body shape | CLO's scan guidance calls for a cleaned mesh. A clean silhouette supports garment fitting on the intended body. |
Build a one-line asset brief for the software decision: “This character is a [scan or production avatar], exported as [format], with [joints, keyframed poses, cache, or none], for [static fit, pose checks, or motion evaluation].” For example, “hero character, Alembic, joints and cache, evaluate a coat through motion” points directly to the Marvelous Designer format guidance. “Scanned body, OBJ, static fitting” instead prioritizes scan handling, mesh cleanliness, and how easily the app can use the body shape.
Marvelous Designer: documented support for joints and animation cache
Marvelous Designer's avatar import guide recommends FBX or Alembic for avatars with joints or animation cache. For avatars without joints, the guide lists OBJ, FBX, Alembic, and OpenCOLLADA; it says most files without animation cache can generally be imported in those formats.
The FBX import controls make the separation between rig motion and cached motion explicit. Marvelous Designer's FBX import manual provides separate toggles for Joint Animation and Cache Animation (mc). That lets a team align the import settings with what its FBX actually contains, rather than treating all animation data as one option.
For humanoid FBX avatars, the same manual says the import process can automatically generate arrangement points and create a Fitting Suit. These are practical setup aids when the goal is to place and fit garments on a character.
Marvelous Designer also documents an optional route for converting externally created avatars. Its Auto Convert to Avatar guide describes conversion to a compatible avatar matching Marvelous Designer's default skeleton and motions. Its Rigging Only option keeps the original body's shape and appearance while adding articulation points. Use the conversion option that fits the handoff: a team trying to preserve an existing avatar appearance has a different need from one converting a character for the software's default rig and motion setup.
Best fit: teams bringing a jointed character with an animation cache, especially when the asset is already in FBX or Alembic. For a FBX workflow, check the two animation toggles separately and test the resulting garment on the required motion before building a production sequence.
CLO: a direct route from scan or custom body to garment fitting
CLO's documented custom-body workflow is particularly useful when the source is a scan and the goal is to fit clothing to the scanned body's shape. The CLO body-scan guidance says scans can be imported in OBJ or FBX format. It calls for a cleaned body mesh with no holes or noise so garments can fit correctly.
CLO also provides a conversion workflow for a body model. The Convert to Avatar instructions describe converting 3D dummies or body scans into CLO avatars while maintaining their body shapes. The process loads a 3D body file as a reference, aligns it with a CLO avatar, and saves the converted avatar; CLO recommends an attention pose for the reference file.
That distinction helps a team choose CLO for a scan-led fit task. If the production question is whether a garment fits a performer or character's measured body shape, the scan and body-conversion workflow addresses that need directly.
Best fit: apparel or character teams whose first requirement is a clean scanned body or custom body shape for fitting.
Maya: rig-aware cloth simulation in the character scene
Maya is not a garment-pattern authoring suite; its relevant role in this comparison is simulating cloth on a character inside an animation or VFX scene. Autodesk's nCloth workflow describes making a character's clothing nCloth, setting the character as an nCloth or passive collision object, constraining the clothing to itself and the character, adjusting simulation properties, and optionally caching the result.
For an animated character arriving as FBX, Maya's FBX import options include controls for importing animation, geometry-cache data, skin deformation, and blend shapes. The importer also identifies animation takes in the file. Teams should select the relevant options and check the imported result against their rig and motion rather than assuming every FBX carries the same data.
Maya also supports Alembic cache import, including options to merge cached-animation data with source objects. This is a cache-based route for animated geometry, distinct from importing a jointed rig; choose the handoff that matches the character asset and the intended simulation setup.
For a game or VFX team, Maya is relevant when the work is to simulate or review cloth behavior against the character's animation in the scene. It is a different task from scan-led body fitting or garment pattern development in a dedicated apparel application.
Best fit: teams that already work with the animated character in Maya and need to simulate a mesh garment through motion. Test the cloth against the actual character animation and collision setup before relying on it for a production shot or sequence.
Match the suite to the existing character file
Comparison table Scroll to view every column ↔
| Suite | Documented avatar files and motion conditions | Scan, body-shape, or placement workflow | Best fit for the team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvelous Designer | Its avatar guide recommends FBX or Alembic for avatars with joints or animation cache. For avatars without joints, it lists OBJ, FBX, Alembic, and OpenCOLLADA. The FBX importer separates joint-animation and cache-animation controls. | Auto Convert (Ver. 2024.0 and above) accepts OBJ, AVT, and FBX. MD Skin Style keeps the source body shape and adds joint points. | A hero avatar with joints or animation cache, or a custom body that needs the documented conversion options. |
| CLO | Body scans can be imported as OBJ or FBX, and the mesh needs cleaning for garment fit. | Convert to Avatar turns a body scan or 3D dummy into an avatar while maintaining body shape; the reference file is preferably in an attention pose. | Scan-led garment fitting where the source body shape matters. |
| Maya | FBX import options include animation, geometry cache, skin, and blend-shape data. Alembic caches can be imported, with options to merge cached-animation data with source objects. | nCloth workflow supports simulating clothing against a character set up as a collision object, with constraints and optional caching. | Cloth simulation and motion review inside an existing Maya character scene; not a scan-led garment-pattern workflow. |
The file extension alone does not describe the evaluation data: an FBX may carry joint-animation or cache data for one workflow, and keyframed poses with blend shapes for another.
For a scan-led fit, CLO converts the scan into an avatar while maintaining body shape; Browzwear focuses the fit review on the scanned body's silhouette.
For a jointed or cache-driven hero avatar, start with Marvelous Designer's documented FBX or Alembic import recommendation; for cloth simulation against the character's animation in a Maya scene, test Maya's nCloth workflow.
Before a pilot, run the same garment through the exact export you intend to deliver. Confirm the avatar loads at the expected scale and orientation, the body surface is suitable for fitting, each required pose appears, and the garment behaves as expected during the motion check. Save the tested avatar together with the export settings and garment file; this gives the next artist a repeatable starting point rather than a format name alone.
Frequently asked questions
Which suite is the clearest fit for an existing jointed avatar with animation cache?
Marvelous Designer recommends FBX or Alembic for avatars with joints or animation cache. For FBX, its import manual lists separate controls for joint animation and cache animation.
Can Maya simulate clothing on an animated character?
Yes. Autodesk's nCloth workflow describes making a character's clothing nCloth, setting the character up as a collision object, constraining the clothing, and reviewing the simulation in playback. Maya's FBX importer also provides controls for animation, geometry-cache, skin, and blend-shape data; test the imported motion and simulation setup with the actual production asset.
Which option makes sense for a body scan?
CLO documents importing OBJ or FBX body scans and converting scans into avatars while maintaining body shape. Maya's role here is different: its documented nCloth workflow is for simulating clothing against a character, not a scan-led garment-fitting workflow.
What should a team test before committing a production asset?
Test the actual exported file with the intended garment and motion. For a scan, confirm the mesh is clean; for a rigged FBX, confirm the required joint or cache data imports.