MOT to FBX Converter
FileFlip converts MOT to FBX entirely inside your browser, using Assimp compiled to WebAssembly. The file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. That means no file-size limit, no queue and no account.
How do I convert a MOT file to FBX?#
- Drop your MOT file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer. You can add as many as you like.
- Leave the target set to FBX and the conversion starts on its own. FileFlip downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, then runs Assimp on your own machine.
- Save the FBX file. Your browser writes it straight to your downloads folder, because there was never a server holding it.
Does converting MOT to FBX lose quality?#
Not in the sense of pixels or samples. Converting MOT to FBX rebuilds the file in FBX's own model rather than re-encoding it, so everything FBX can represent comes through exactly and anything it cannot has to be dropped. Expect the geometry to be exact, and anything the target has no place for, such as a rig, to be left behind.
Is it safe to convert MOT files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts MOT files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What MOT to FBX actually does to the file#
Converting MOT to FBX runs on Assimp, downloads 11.2 MB of WebAssembly the first time and nothing after that, rebuilds the file in the target's own model.
| Engine | Assimp |
|---|---|
| Conversion path | One step: MOT → FBX |
| Downloaded to your browser | 11.2 MB, once, then cached by your browser |
| Quality | Rebuilt in the target's model |
| You get back | One file |
| Where it runs | In a background worker, so the page stays responsive |
What survives the conversion
| What is in the file | This conversion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Textures | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
| Skeleton and animation | Sometimes | Survives for some files and not others. |
What is a MOT file?#
A MOT file holds NewTek LightWave motion data, the position, rotation and scale keyframes for a single item saved out from a scene so they can be applied to a different item.
Save motion as MOT when a keyframed animation needs to be reused on a different item inside LightWave.
Convert MOT to FBX or glTF animation data once the motion needs to drive a rig outside LightWave.
What is an FBX file?#
An FBX file is Autodesk's proprietary binary or ASCII scene format, originally built by Kaydara for its Filmbox motion-capture software in 1996, that carries a full scene, meshes, materials, skeletons, skinning and animation together in one container.
Use FBX when a full rigged, animated scene needs to move between a DCC tool and a game engine, since almost every pipeline tool expects it.
Convert an FBX file when the destination needs an open, patent-unencumbered format, or when the application that wrote it isn't the one reading it and something is coming through wrong.
MOT to FBX questions people ask#
What is a MOT file?
In LightWave, a MOT file holds the keyframed motion channels for a single item: position, rotation and scale over time, saved out separately from the scene it was recorded in. Applying a MOT file to a different item in LightWave transfers that motion onto it.
Does a MOT file contain a 3D model?
No. A LightWave MOT file stores only motion channels, not geometry. It has to be applied to an existing item, whether that's an object, a light or a camera, before it means anything.
Is MOT the same format everywhere I see it?
No, the .mot extension is overloaded. This entry describes NewTek LightWave's motion file, one item's keyframe data separated from a scene; other applications use .mot for unrelated motion or audio data with a completely different structure.
What software opens FBX files?
Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Unity and Unreal Engine all open FBX files, since it's the format most 3D and game pipelines use to move scenes between tools. Which application wrote the file matters more than which one is opening it, because FBX exporters don't all interpret the format identically.