How to use the A23D Asset Importer Plugin for Maya

The A23D Asset Importer enables you to download assets directly from the A23D website into Maya. It adds an A23D Bridge panel to track download and import progress, choose a custom asset folder, or import an A23D asset from disk.

Installing the plugin

  1. Visit the Maya integration page.
  2. Download the latest version of the plugin compatible with your Maya application.
  3. Unzip the downloaded file. The extracted files include A23DAssetImporter.mod and the A23DAssetImporter folder.
  4. Close Maya.
  5. Open or create your Maya modules folder:
    • Windows: C:\Users\<user>\Documents\maya\modules
    • macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/modules
  6. Copy both A23DAssetImporter.mod and the A23DAssetImporter folder into the modules folder. Keep them side by side.
  7. Start Maya.
  8. Go to Windows > Settings/Preferences > Plug-in Manager.
  9. Find A23D_AssetImporter.py.
  10. Enable Loaded and Auto load.

After installation, the A23D menu appears in Maya's main menu bar. Open A23D > Show A23D Panel to show the dockable A23D Bridge panel.

Keep the A23D Bridge panel open or docked while importing assets from the website.

Downloading assets with one-click

  1. Open Maya and keep the A23D Bridge panel open or docked.
  2. If the panel says Connected, Maya is ready to receive assets.
  3. On the A23D website, open the asset you want to import.
  4. In the Software dropdown, choose Maya.
  5. Choose the resolution you want.
  6. Click Send to Maya.
  7. Return to Maya. The A23D Bridge panel shows the asset as it downloads, unzips, and imports into the scene.

Browser permission

When you click Send to Maya, your browser may ask to allow access to apps on your device. Click Allow so A23D can connect to the A23D Bridge in Maya. If you skipped it, open site settings for www.a23d.co, allow Apps on device, reload the page, and try again.

You can also manually add https://www.a23d.co:443 to your browser's list of allowed sites to access Apps on device. This setting can be found at:

  • Chrome — chrome://settings/content/loopbackNetwork
  • Edge — edge://settings/privacy/sitePermissions/allPermissions/loopbackNetwork
  • Brave — brave://settings/content/loopbackNetwork
  • Firefox — Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions → Device apps and services

Safari may not always complete one-click sending because of its local app connection behavior. If that happens, use Chrome or Edge, or download the asset and use Import from disk.

Using multiple Maya instances

Only one Maya instance receives website imports at a time. If you have more than one Maya instance open, click Connect in the A23D Bridge panel of the instance you want to import into. That instance becomes the active receiver. Other open Maya instances will show as not connected until you click Connect in them.

Choosing a custom asset folder

In the A23D Bridge panel, use Settings > Asset Folder if you want website downloads saved to a specific location before import. You can type a folder path or click Browse... and choose a folder. Leave the field empty if you do not need a custom location.

Importing an asset from disk

Use Import from disk when you already have a downloaded A23D asset on your computer.

  1. In Maya, open the A23D Bridge panel.
  2. Click Import from disk.
  3. Select the extracted A23D asset folder.
  4. Confirm the selection. The plugin imports the asset into the current scene.

You can also open the disk importer from A23D > Import A23D Assets.

Renderer and material setup

The plugin builds materials for the renderer active in your Maya render settings. If you use Arnold, V-Ray, Redshift, RenderMan, Octane, Maxwell, or Maya's standard material workflow, choose the renderer you want before importing the asset.

Uninstalling the plugin

Close Maya, delete A23DAssetImporter.mod and the A23DAssetImporter folder from the Maya modules folder, and then restart Maya.

Need some help?

Contact our team at support@a23d.co