Export Animations and Blendshapes to FBX in Blender

Exporting 3D models with both skeletal animations and blendshapes (shape keys) from Blender to the FBX format requires configuring specific export settings to prevent data loss. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough to properly prepare your mesh, configure Blender's FBX exporter, and ensure your animations and morph targets import seamlessly into game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine or other 3D software.

Step 1: Prepare Your Mesh, Armature, and Blendshapes

  1. Verify Shape Keys: Select your mesh and navigate to the Object Data Properties tab (green triangle icon). Ensure all required morph targets are listed under the Shape Keys panel.
  2. Organize Animations: Open the Dope Sheet editor and switch the mode to the Action Editor or the Nonlinear Animation (NLA) editor. Ensure your skeletal animation tracks and any animated shape key channels are properly keyed or pushed down to NLA strips.
  3. Apply Transforms: Select both your mesh and armature in the 3D Viewport, press Ctrl + A, and select All Transforms. This ensures the rotation, location, and scale are standardized to prevent scaling or orientation errors during export.

Step 2: Open the FBX Export Window

  1. Select the mesh and the armature in the viewport.
  2. Go to File > Export > FBX (.fbx) in the top menu bar.

Step 3: Configure Export Settings

In the export panel on the right side of the file browser, configure the following tabs:

Main & Include

  • Limit to: Check Selected Objects.
  • Object Types: Shift-click to select only Armature and Mesh.

Transform

  • Scale: Set to 1.0.
  • Apply Scalings: Set to FBX All or All Local to ensure proper scaling in external applications.
  • Forward: -Z Forward
  • Up: Y Up

Geometry

  • Apply Modifiers: Uncheck this option if your blendshapes disappear, or ensure that the Armature modifier is at the bottom of the stack. Note: Blender cannot export blendshapes if modifiers that change mesh topology are set to be applied automatically.
  • Smoothing: Set to Face or Normals Only depending on your target engine's requirement.

Armature

  • Primary Bone Axis: Y Axis
  • Secondary Bone Axis: X Axis
  • Armature FBXNode Type: Set to Null (recommended for game engines to avoid creating an extra root bone).
  • Add Leaf Bones: Uncheck this box to prevent Blender from adding extra, unnecessary dummy bones to the tips of bone chains.
  • Only Deform Bones: Check this if you used control rigs (like Rigify) and only want bones that directly deform the mesh.

Bake Animation

  • Bake Animation: Ensure this box is checked.
  • Key All Bones: Checked.
  • NLA Strips: Checked (if using NLA tracks).
  • All Actions: Checked (if you want to export all unlinked actions saved in your project file).
  • Force Start/End Keying: Checked.
  • Shape Keys: Checked (This is critical to include animated blendshape curves in the FBX file).

Step 4: Export and Verify

  1. Choose your destination folder and name your file.
  2. Click Export FBX.
  3. Import the generated .fbx file into your destination software (such as Unity, Unreal Engine, or a new Blender scene) to verify that the skeletal animations play correctly and the blendshape sliders/animations function as intended.