How to use A23D 3D Models in Redshift

This guide explains how to import 3D models downloaded from A23D into your Redshift-enabled host application for GPU production rendering. Instructions cover the most common Redshift hosts: Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, 3ds Max, and Blender. 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 Redshift.
  • A23D automatically delivers the model in the format best suited to Redshift (.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 + Redshift

  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, in the Material Manager, replace the imported standard materials with Redshift Standard Material (or OpenPBR Material in Redshift 2025.4+).

Houdini + Redshift

  1. In a /obj or Solaris (/stage) context, drop a File SOP / LOP and point it at the A23D .fbx.
  2. Add a Redshift Standard Material in the /mat network and assign it to the imported geometry.

Maya + Redshift

  1. Use the A23D Maya Asset Importer when available.
  2. If importing manually, go to File > Import... and select the A23D .fbx.
  3. In Hypershade, create a new Redshift Standard Material and assign it to the imported mesh.

3ds Max + Redshift

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

Blender + Redshift

  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 a Redshift Material via the Redshift shader graph editor.

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 Redshift you need to convert them to RS Standard Material (or OpenPBR Material in Redshift 2025.4+) - the texture nodes are already present in the material network and just need to be reconnected.

Cinema 4D

  1. Open the Material Manager. Imported FBX materials appear as standard Cinema 4D materials with texture tags.
  2. Select all imported materials, right-click, and choose Redshift -> Convert Materials to Redshift to batch-convert them to RS Standard Materials with textures re-linked.
  3. Alternatively, create a new RS Standard Material manually and drag the existing texture nodes from the old material into the correct RS slots in the Node Editor.

Houdini

  1. In the /mat network, the imported FBX creates Principled Shader materials with textures wired.
  2. Create a new Redshift Standard Material node for each imported material.
  3. In the Redshift Material Network, connect the same texture paths (already referenced in the Principled Shader) to the matching RS Standard Material inputs - Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, etc.

Maya

  1. Open Hypershade - imported materials (usually standardSurface) already have textures connected.
  2. Select the geometry and in Hypershade, create a new Redshift Standard Material.
  3. In the RS Material's Attribute Editor, load each texture path from the accompanying texture folder into the matching RS Standard Material slot - Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, and Displacement.

3ds Max

  1. Open the Material Editor (M key) in Slate mode - imported Standard / Physical materials already have textures wired.
  2. Create a new Redshift Standard Material node.
  3. Copy the texture node connections from the imported material into the RS Standard Material's Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, and Displacement inputs.

Blender

  1. In the Shader Editor, the imported FBX creates Principled BSDF materials with Image Texture nodes already connected.
  2. Add a Redshift Material node and reconnect the existing Image Texture nodes to the corresponding RS Standard Material inputs - Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal, and Displacement.

Additional Resources

Redshift Documentation
Redshift Standard Material - Maxon Help

Need some help?

Contact our team at support@a23d.co