MA/MB (Maya)
Also known as: .ma file, .mb file, Maya scene, Autodesk Maya
MA and MB are the native scene formats of Autodesk Maya. MA (Maya ASCII) stores the scene as readable text, while MB (Maya Binary) stores the same scene in a compact binary form; both hold geometry, rigs, and animation.
- Native Maya scene formats: MA (text), MB (binary)
- Hold geometry, rigs, cameras, and animation
- Export to FBX, OBJ, or Alembic to share
MA vs MB
Both save a full Maya scene — models, materials, rigs, cameras, lights, and animation. MA (ASCII) is human-readable and merges or diffs well in version control; MB (Binary) is smaller and faster to load.
Maya is a mainstay of film, TV, and game production, so these files often sit at the center of large studio pipelines.
Sharing Maya scenes
Opening MA/MB fully needs Maya. To move assets to other tools, export to FBX, OBJ, Alembic (ABC), or USD, which carry geometry and animation between applications.