I was basing my package specific plugin suite on the Quest3D model. They supply their own X exporter plugins for most of the major programs(even down to separate version number specific variants in some cases), and also include or tell how to get 3rd party ones like Panda X.
http://www.quest3d.com/index.php?id=102My main concern with something like FBX would be having to worry about the different flavors per modeling program and dealing with changes made to each one as the respective programs evolve. Conitec could make changes to proprietary plugins much faster and know exactly what to change and test as the MDL format changes and/or the modeling programs themselves. I'm thinking of this in more of a "big picture" view.
Yes, it would be expensive, at first, however having a simplified, "it works everytime no matter what you use" export path would be a great marketing point. It would pay for itself quickly I think.
