Bug 3DS max files & Mac

I imported a 3ds max file on my windows computer. In the documentation it states: "Files imported this way are converted into .fbx files by Unity during the import process."
https://docs.unity3d.com/2017.4/Documentation/Manual/class-Mesh.html

However, when my colleague opens the project on Mac, the model from the 3ds max file is not available. So it seems like Unity does NOT convert the file to FBX?

 

Unity does not convert the file to FBX, it asks 3ds max to do it behind the scenes, so everyone working on the project needs to have 3ds max installed or they won't see the model. The only way around this is by converting to FBX yourself and importing the FBX file instead or the max file.