How to use A23D 3D Models in Octane Render

This guide explains how to import 3D models downloaded from A23D into your Octane Render-enabled host application for GPU path-traced rendering. Instructions cover the most common Octane hosts: Cinema 4D, Blender, 3ds Max, Maya, and Standalone. Use the A23D Asset Importer in supported hosts. The A23D Asset Importer imports assets into the host application; it is not a file converter.

1. Download and Extract the Model

  1. Sign in to your A23D account.
  2. Browse to the asset you wish to use.
  3. In the Software dropdown on the asset page, select Octane Render.
  • A23D automatically delivers the model in the format best suited to Octane Render (.fbx) - no manual format selection required. Keep the .fbx file and texture files together because the model references its dependent files.
  1. Click Download and save the .zip to a known location on your computer.
  2. Extract (unzip) the archive to access the .fbx model and the accompanying texture folder.

2. Import the Model - Host-Specific Steps

Cinema 4D + Octane

  1. Use the A23D Cinema 4D Asset Importer when available.
  2. If importing manually, go to File > Merge Project... and select the A23D .fbx.
  3. After import, select the imported objects and replace their materials with Octane Universal Material (right-click in Material Manager -> Octane > Universal Material).

Blender + Octane

  1. Use the A23D Blender Asset Importer when available.
  2. If importing manually, go to File > Import > FBX (.fbx) and select the A23D .fbx.
  3. With the imported mesh selected, switch its material to an Octane Universal Material via the Octane shader graph editor.

3ds Max + Octane

  1. Use the A23D 3ds Max Asset Importer when available.
  2. If importing manually, go to File > Import and select the .fbx. Configure import options to match scene units (Meters).
  3. Replace the imported Standard / Physical materials with Octane Universal Material in the Material Editor.

Maya + Octane

  1. Use the A23D Maya Asset Importer when available.
  2. If importing manually, go to File > Import... and select the .fbx.
  3. In Hypershade, create an Octane Universal Material and connect the A23D PBR maps to its channels (see the PBR Textures guide).

Octane Standalone

  1. In the Standalone app, go to File > Import and select the .fbx.
  2. Select the imported geometry and assign a Universal Material from the Material Manager.

3. Verify Scale and Orientation

A23D models are in meters. Confirm your host scene's unit scale matches before importing or use the host's import-scale option to convert.

4. Materials and Textures

When the FBX imports, your host application automatically creates materials with all A23D PBR texture maps already linked - albedo, normal, roughness, metalness, and other maps are connected from the references embedded in the file. These are host-native materials. To render with Octane you need to convert them to Octane Universal Material - the texture nodes are already present and just need to be reconnected to the Octane material inputs.

Cinema 4D

  1. Open the Material Manager. Imported FBX materials appear as standard Cinema 4D materials with textures assigned.
  2. For each material, create a new Octane Universal Material in the Material Manager.
  3. Open the Octane Node Editor for the new material and add OctaneImageTexture nodes pointing to the same texture paths as the original imported material (Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, etc.).

Blender

  1. In the Shader Editor, imported FBX materials appear as Principled BSDF nodes with Image Texture nodes already connected.
  2. Switch the material to the Octane shader context, create an Octane Universal Material, and reconnect the existing Image Texture nodes to the matching Octane inputs.

3ds Max

  1. Open the Material Editor (M key) in Slate mode - imported materials already have textures wired.
  2. Create a new Octane Universal Material node.
  3. Connect the existing bitmap texture nodes from the imported material into the Octane Universal Material's Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, and Displacement inputs.

Maya

  1. Open Hypershade - imported materials already have textures connected.
  2. Create a new Octane Universal Material for the mesh.
  3. In the Octane material's Attribute Editor, load the same texture paths from the existing material into the Octane Universal Material slots.

Standalone

  1. After FBX import, the model appears with placeholder materials.
  2. In the Material Manager, select each material and switch its type to Universal Material.
  3. Load the A23D texture files from the accompanying texture folder into the Universal Material's Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, and Displacement slots.

Additional Resources

OTOY Octane Render Documentation
Universal Material - OTOY Manuals

Need some help?

Contact our team at support@a23d.co