io_directx_x — Blender DirectX .x Importer / Exporter
A full-featured Blender addon for the DirectX .x file format. Validated against
Bugsnax models (fragMOTION-exported .x files, xof 0303txt 0032) and compatible
with the broader fragMOTION ecosystem. Supports geometry, materials, textures,
armatures, skin weights, and keyframe animation on import and export.
Compatibility
| Source |
Status |
| fragMOTION exports (text format) |
✅ Full support |
| Bugsnax character models |
✅ Tested |
DirectX binary format (bin) |
✅ |
MS-ZIP compressed (tzip / bzip) |
✅ |
| 32-bit and 64-bit float variants |
✅ |
| Blender 3.x / 4.x / 5.x |
✅ |
Installation
- Edit → Preferences → Add-ons → Install…
- Select the
io_directx_x folder (zip it first if needed).
- Enable "DirectX X Format (.x)" in the list.
The addon then appears at:
- File → Import → DirectX X (.x)
- File → Export → DirectX X (.x)
Import Options
Transform
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Scale |
1.0 |
Global scale multiplier applied to all geometry and bone positions |
| Forward Axis |
Z |
Which Blender axis maps to DX +Z (forward) |
| Up Axis |
Y |
Which Blender axis maps to DX +Y (up) |
| Apply Transform |
On |
Bake the root Frame transform matrix into mesh data |
Data
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Import Normals |
On |
Read per-loop split normals from MeshNormals; infers sharp edges from them |
| Import UVs |
On |
Read the first UV channel from MeshTextureCoords (V-flip corrected) |
| Import Materials |
On |
Create Principled BSDF materials from Material blocks |
| Import Textures |
On |
Link image textures from TextureFileName; tries .png, .jpg, .tga, .dds fallbacks |
Armature & Animation
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Import Armature |
On |
Build a Blender armature from the Frame hierarchy |
| Import Weights |
On |
Assign vertex groups from SkinWeights blocks |
| Import Animation |
On |
Create F-curve actions from AnimationSet / AnimationKey blocks |
| Rest Pose Source |
Bind Pose |
Where bone rest positions come from — see below |
| Animation FPS |
0 (auto) |
0 reads AnimTicksPerSecond from the file; any other value overrides it |
| Set Scene Frame Range |
On |
Sets frame_start / frame_end to exactly match the animation data in the file |
Rest Pose Source
Two modes control how bone rest matrices are computed:
Bind Pose (default) — uses the SkinWeights offset matrices (inv(offset) = bind pose).
Joint positions are geometrically correct and match what the artist authored. Some exporters
(including fragMOTION's Maya plugin) bake a 180° root rotation into the offset matrix, which
can make the armature face the wrong direction in edit mode — animation playback is unaffected.
Frame Hierarchy — uses the accumulated FrameTransformMatrix chain, matching fragMOTION's
own viewport behaviour. The armature and mesh face the same direction in edit mode. For files
where the FTM encodes an animated pose rather than the bind pose, limbs may appear crunched
at rest; mesh vertices are automatically rebound to compensate.
Diagnostics
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Verbose Logging |
Off |
Prints per-bone and per-mesh DEBUG output to the terminal Blender was launched from; INFO / WARN / ERROR always appear |
Export Options
Include
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Selected Only |
Off |
Export only selected objects; off exports the full scene |
| Apply Modifiers |
On |
Bake mesh modifiers before export |
Transform
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Scale |
1.0 |
Global scale |
| Forward / Up Axis |
−Z / Y |
Coordinate system for the output file |
Data
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Export Normals |
On |
Write per-loop split normals to MeshNormals |
| Export UVs |
On |
Write the active UV layer to MeshTextureCoords (V-flip applied) |
| Export Materials |
On |
Write Material blocks with diffuse, shininess, specular, and emissive values |
| Export Textures |
On |
Write TextureFileName inside each material block |
| Use Original Material Data |
Off |
When on, exports the values stored at import time (the _x_* custom properties) rather than the current Blender material state |
A panel in the export dialog lists every material that has a stored texture path and lets
you edit those paths before export without opening the material editor.
Format
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Binary Format |
Off |
Write DirectX binary token format (bin) instead of text (txt). Smaller and faster to parse but not human-readable |
Armature & Animation
| Option |
Default |
Description |
| Export Armature |
On |
Write Frame hierarchy from the armature bones |
| Export Weights |
On |
Write SkinWeights blocks from vertex groups |
| Export Animation |
On |
Bake pose-bone keyframes into AnimationSet / AnimationKey blocks |
| FPS |
30 |
Written as AnimTicksPerSecond |
| Frame Start / End |
1 / 250 |
Animation range to bake |
Non-manifold warning
If any exported mesh contains non-manifold edges (edges shared by anything other than
exactly two faces — open borders, internal faces, etc.), a WARN is printed to the log
listing the affected edge indices. Non-manifold geometry typically produces broken normals
and bad skinning in DirectX consumers and game engines, so it is worth resolving before
export.
Supported .x Blocks
| Block |
Import |
Export |
xof 0303txt / xof 0303bin |
✅ |
✅ text + ✅ binary |
AnimTicksPerSecond |
✅ |
✅ |
Frame + FrameTransformMatrix |
✅ |
✅ |
Mesh (vertices + N-gon faces) |
✅ |
✅ (triangulated optional) |
MeshNormals |
✅ |
✅ |
MeshTextureCoords (V-flipped) |
✅ |
✅ |
MeshMaterialList |
✅ |
✅ |
Material (diffuse / shininess / specular / emissive) |
✅ |
✅ |
TextureFileName / TextureFilename |
✅ both spellings |
✅ |
XSkinMeshHeader |
✅ |
✅ |
SkinWeights (indices + weights + offset matrix) |
✅ |
✅ |
AnimationSet / Animation |
✅ |
✅ |
AnimationKey type 0 — rotation quaternion |
✅ |
✅ |
AnimationKey type 1 — scale |
✅ |
✅ |
AnimationKey type 2 — position |
✅ |
✅ |
AnimationKey type 4 — full 4×4 matrix |
✅ |
— |
MS-ZIP decompression (tzip / bzip) |
✅ |
— |
File Layout
io_directx_x/
├── __init__.py — Blender operator registration and UI panels
├── parser.py — Tokenizer and recursive-descent parser → XNode tree
├── importer.py — XNode tree → Blender objects, armature, and animation
├── exporter.py — Blender scene → .x text or binary file
└── xlog.py — Print-based logger that writes to the original terminal fd
DirectX X Format (.x)
Works great! Will help the Project Zomboid community a lot, too. Thanks!