Yeah, they would.
Problems was many, first thing was that Karpov and the others worked on animations using SDK which was too old even for 2238; some data needed to be converted, it wasn't done [people focused on animations instead], SDK got additional changes which would need to be done... It wasn't about animations itself [i think], just stuff to make client use them.
Second thing was perfomance drops bigger and bigger with each change in client. Looong ago we tested 3D critters - dozen of people derping around, all run smoothly, just a few FPS drop, not a big deal. Client from last year dropped to 1 FPS when just
one 3D critter was on monitor. Ugh.
Another part was people blindly repeating that 3D sux, even if they had no idea about things above. Fact that animations was supposed to be
uglified once they are complete [using some magick which i don't remember now] didn't fit into head of most people. I remember "find the 3D critter" threads from time to time done by people working on stuff - and it was getting better and better with time; still not perfect, but progress was visible.
After Karpov stopped working on 3D, there was nobody to continue whole thing. And if there was, most likely found previously mentioned issues pretty fast... I think at this moment there is only
one game which is seriously interested in using 3D globally, not only for few critters in encounters. But they don't seem to care much about people with old computers [like most of FOnlines do], and have own style for critters - it just wouldn't fit in.
In short, FOnline and 3D is in deep ass
I'd love some magickian to make at least some kind of converter to .frms, just like interplay did, that would solve at least part of the problem. Client will get bigger than Witcher but who cares