3D Asset Translation

Process common 3D formats (FBX🎬FBXAutodesk's 3D animation exchange format.View in glossary, OBJ🎲OBJSimple 3D geometry format.View in glossary, glTF) for web-based viewing.

Workflow Overview

CLI Approach

Step 1: Create Assets Bucket

raps bucket create --key media-assets --policy persistent --region US

Step 2: Upload 3D Files

# FBX file
raps object upload media-assets character.fbx

# OBJ file
raps object upload media-assets environment.obj

# glTF file
raps object upload media-assets props.gltf

# GLB (binary glTF)
raps object upload media-assets vehicle.glb

Step 3: Translate to SVF2

# Get URN and translate
URN=$(raps object urn media-assets character.fbx --output plain)
raps translate start "$URN" --format svf2 --wait

# Check translation result
raps translate manifest "$URN"

Step 4: Verify Output

# Get available views
raps derivative views "$URN" --output json

# Get thumbnail
raps derivative thumbnail "$URN" --output ./preview.png

# Get metadata
raps derivative metadata "$URN" --output json

Supported Formats

CI/CD Pipeline

# .github/workflows/asset-translation.yml
name: 3D Asset Translation

on:
  push:
    paths:
      - 'assets/**/*.fbx'
      - 'assets/**/*.obj'
      - 'assets/**/*.gltf'
      - 'assets/**/*.glb'

env:
  BUCKET: media-assets-${{ github.repository_id }}

jobs:
  translate-assets:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install RAPS
        run: cargo install raps

      - name: Setup bucket
        env:
          APS_CLIENT_ID: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_ID }}
          APS_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_SECRET }}
        run: |
          raps bucket create --key "$BUCKET" --policy persistent --region US 2>/dev/null || true

      - name: Upload and translate
        env:
          APS_CLIENT_ID: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_ID }}
          APS_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_SECRET }}
        run: |
          for file in $(git diff --name-only HEAD~1 HEAD -- 'assets/**'); do
            [ -f "$file" ] || continue

            ext="${file##*.}"
            case "$ext" in
              fbx|obj|gltf|glb|3ds|dae)
                echo "Processing: $file"
                raps object upload "$BUCKET" "$file"

                key=$(basename "$file")
                URN=$(raps object urn "$BUCKET" "$key" --output plain)
                raps translate start "$URN" --format svf2 --wait

                echo "Translated: $key"
                ;;
            esac
          done

      - name: Generate thumbnails
        env:
          APS_CLIENT_ID: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_ID }}
          APS_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.APS_CLIENT_SECRET }}
        run: |
          mkdir -p ./thumbnails

          raps object list "$BUCKET" --output json | jq -r '.[].key' | while read key; do
            URN=$(raps object urn "$BUCKET" "$key" --output plain)
            STATUS=$(raps translate manifest "$URN" 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.status // "pending"')

            if [ "$STATUS" = "success" ]; then
              name=$(echo "$key" | sed 's/\.[^.]*$//')
              raps derivative thumbnail "$URN" --output "./thumbnails/${name}.png" 2>/dev/null || true
            fi
          done

      - name: Upload thumbnails
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: asset-thumbnails
          path: ./thumbnails/

Pipeline Flow

MCP Integration

Translate Single Asset

User: "Upload and translate the new character model for web viewing"

AI Response:

character.fbx has been uploaded and translated:

Asset Details:

• File size: 12.4 MB
• Polygons: 45,000
• Materials: 8
• Bones: 65
• Animation clips: 3

Translation: Complete (45 seconds)

View in Browser

Preview saved to preview.png — open it locally or push to object storage for a quick visual check.

Batch Translate

User: "Process all the props in the environment folder"

AI Response:

Processing 12 files from environment folder:

File	Format	Status	Polygons
tree_01.fbx	FBX	Complete	8,200
rock_large.obj	OBJ	Complete	2,100
fence.gltf	glTF	Complete	1,450
lamp_post.fbx	FBX	Processing	-
…	…	…	…

Progress: 9/12 complete

Format-Specific Tips

FBX with Animations

# FBX animations are preserved
URN=$(raps object urn media-assets animated-character.fbx --output plain)
raps translate start "$URN" --format svf2 --wait

# Check animation data in metadata
raps derivative metadata "$URN" --output json | jq '.animations'

OBJ with External Materials

# Package OBJ with MTL and textures
zip -r model-package.zip model.obj model.mtl textures/

raps object upload media-assets model-package.zip

# Specify root file
URN=$(raps object urn media-assets model-package.zip --output plain)
raps translate start "$URN" --format svf2 --root "model.obj" --wait

glTF Variants

# glTF (JSON + binary + textures)
# Upload all files together or as a zip

# GLB is self-contained
raps object upload media-assets model.glb
URN=$(raps object urn media-assets model.glb --output plain)
raps translate start "$URN" --format svf2 --wait

Related

• OBJ with Materials
• Animation Workflows
• Cookbook: Media & Entertainment