diff --git a/src/Fbx2Raw.cpp b/src/Fbx2Raw.cpp
index cd1d0be..44c338f 100644
--- a/src/Fbx2Raw.cpp
+++ b/src/Fbx2Raw.cpp
@@ -1422,9 +1422,17 @@ bool LoadFBXFile(RawModel &raw, const char *fbxFileName, const char *textureExte
     // Use Y up for glTF
     FbxAxisSystem::MayaYUp.ConvertScene(pScene);
 
-    // Use meters as the default unit for glTF
+    // FBX's internal unscaled unit is centimetres, and if you choose not to work in that unit,
+    // you will find scaling transfgrms on all the children of the root node. Those transforms are
+    // superfluous and cause a lot of people a lot of trouble. Luckily we can get rid of them by
+    // converting to CM here (which just gets rid of the scaling), and then we pre-multiply the
+    // scale factor into every vertex position (and related attributes) instead.
     FbxSystemUnit sceneSystemUnit = pScene->GetGlobalSettings().GetSystemUnit();
-    scaleFactor = FbxSystemUnit::m.GetConversionFactorFrom(sceneSystemUnit);
+    if (sceneSystemUnit != FbxSystemUnit::cm) {
+        FbxSystemUnit::cm.ConvertScene(pScene);
+    }
+    // this is always 0.01, but let's opt for clarity.
+    scaleFactor = FbxSystemUnit::m.GetConversionFactorFrom(FbxSystemUnit::cm);
 
     ReadNodeHierarchy(raw, pScene, pScene->GetRootNode(), 0, "");
     ReadNodeAttributes(raw, pScene, pScene->GetRootNode(), textureLocations);