Difference between .ma and .mb file format?

[Calliopeia]

Hi!

Could someone please tell me what the difference is between the .ma and the .mb file format. I know that .ma is an ASCII format and that .mb is a Binary file format... My question is what is the advantage or the disadvantage saving a scene in one of this format? Which should I prefer and when???

Thank you in advance!

Br Veronika

Hi, well i dont know much, but what i've found was that it depends on the extension you will use... according to this, the ascii should be use on text files

ASCII Files
.htm .html .shtml .php .pl .cgi .js .cnf .css
.forward .htaccess .map .pwd .txt .grp .ctl

Binary Files
.jpg .gif .png .tif .exe .zip .sit .rar .ace
.class .mid .ra .avi .ocx .wav .mp3 .au

I know modo opens just .ma files, not .mb.... I like to work with mb flies, and when i used .ma to open with modo i didnt like the result...

there was also this site that has some information about the structure:
Ascii vs. Binary Files

and that: "You cannot write regular Autodesk Maya software files (.ma, .mb); only the Autodesk Maya Personal Learning Edition file format (.mp) can be saved; however, you can import regular Autodesk Maya software files." (usa.autodesk.com), so both extensions are closed...

though it would be good an explanation more tward maya's use, that was all i found =/

Hope this community grows.

[playBlast]

Ascii maya files dont have compression which generally makes them about twice the file size as maya binary files.
But a big advantage for ma files is that it's possible to debug problems without opening the scene in maya. Just open it up in a text editor and its one big mel script.

working in tv commercials ive always used maya binary.
but working on a tv series we had to use maya ascii. and it paid off with the amount of times the TD fixed my shots in a text editor :)

Very nice information... i opened here a .ma file in textedit and its a very big mel... i cant even imagine fix something just writing something in there.
But do you know if there is any difference if iam doing animation, modeling, dynamics...?
maybe if is just for maya use the difference should be unperceived, but for exporting or anything else... is there any specifications?