importing .ai to motion for use

i do not have adobe illustrator but my 3ds Max has both
read-write of the .ai formats on my pc; and I was wondering
if there is a way to import .ai for use as shapes or masking.


thanks

Sure, either way. For shapes just use as is; for masks, add and image mask to an object (Object > Add Image Mask) and drag the .ai file into the well in the dashboard (or directly onto the image mask object in the layers tab) and set the mode as appropriate (alpha/luma/rgb).
Mark

thanks; i just re-read the Motion guide and this is the case; the problem is
that 3ds Max does not generate true .ai that Motion can read; and this is
why they are greyed out in the Apple File Manager File Picker in Finder.

I will play with psd files instead!