Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:43 pm    Post subject: Maya Export to ASE problems: Howdi, touched on this in another thread but now its starting to get anooooooooying!

I work in Maya, have no other 3D app so have to use it for everything, including static meshes. Because Maya doesn't support output of these file types I have had to use the ActorX Unreal plugin to do it for me. Up until now it has worked just fine.

However I'm building the inside of a bus to open my level. Creating this as a single mesh would create a massive headache for UV layouts, so what I've opted to do is build Each section (seats, body, poles) seperately, with their own unique materials and UV layouts.

First of all I imported each of these assets into Doom 3 (sort of rebuilding the bus within Radiant) and got the following results:



Yes its ugly, but its working. I then figured it may be better to bring all these assets into one scene in Maya, and export them all (still with unique UV layouts) as a single mesh. So I did this, went into the new ASE file and pointed all the materials to the ones i'd created. However although it loads the model just fine (and does have a material applied to it) this is what I get:



Yes, a dam ugly pile of crap.

Anyone got any ideas how I could sort this?

[EDIT] Make sure you use the 'http://' bit before www. other wise the board code doesn't auto parse urls. kat



Bittoman@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:15 pm    Post subject: : The D3 engine doesn't support a single object with multiple materials applied like model editors do. You can keep each object as a seperate object and export them as a single model file and apply a single unique material to each object within the model though. Short of some dodgy vertex painting it's the only way to apply multiple materials to a single model


Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:51 pm    Post subject: : oh sorry i dont think i made myself very clear

The objects I am having trouble with are exported as a single file, but if you open them in maya they're all seperate.

I basically did the following:

Built Chair.mb file
Built Body.mb file
Built Pole.mb file

I then started a new scene, imported them all in, made sure they were good for exporting and exported the entire scene as a new ASE file. The assets were NOT combined into one piece of geometry. So although its one model in Doom, technically they're all seperate. I just don't friggin understand whats wrong with the textures!



Bittoman@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:11 pm    Post subject: : Are you exporting the model as an ASE? If so open up the ASE file in Notepad and check how many seperate BITMAP links are listed and if they are listed as totally seperate or as children of a single material (the "children" will be embedded under one material link if that's the case). You want them all to be completely independant materials.


kat@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:43 am    Post subject: : Bittomans quite correct on this one... the 1st worked because each object has a separate material and texture reference; the moment you combine them the way you have (and probably more the way to do with how the UT ASE exporter works) it'll create child > parent relationships as Bittoman pointed out above. You can't have those in Doom 3 and get working materials on ASE models.

I suspect that although you have each object separate in Maya, the exporter *is* combining them into one object, Blender USMExporter does the same thing because it was written with the same 'limitations' in mind.
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Rayne@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:48 am    Post subject: : http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/plugins/utility_external/export/3721.html


Try this and let me know... Now I have to be quick, but I'm trying to solve this issue so I'll post my tests...
_________________
theRev is coming...



Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:48 pm    Post subject: : from what I've seen on the specs of that exporter it looks like its been tailored perfectly for the job, sadly however I am running Maya 6.0 so the dam thing wont install! My internet is running incredibly slow so im having trouble searching the rest of the site, but if anyone knows of a version for Maya 6.0 I would be exceeeeedingly greatful.


Bittoman@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:41 pm    Post subject: : You can try this, you might have to learn a little about another model editor (not a bad thing) though. All you really need is the mesh and uv coordinates for the model so you could simply export the mesh data to something compatible with multiple editors (like obj) and then import it into Blender and use Goofos' script to export to ASE. It'll obviously not be the best method but it's one that would work and does work (I've exported many models with seperate objects and materials embedded and not had any real problems yet with it). There are also 3rd party programs that do nothing but import and export model files (essentially a conversion program), I don't use any but I've seen mention of at least one here on the forum.


Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:02 pm    Post subject: : ahh fantastic that sounds like it might work. Thikning about it I've got a friend who has lightwave, i could probably email him the OBJ versions of my scene and get him to export them to LWO, since that's also an accepted format for meshes.

cheers!



Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:43 pm    Post subject: Maya Export to ASE problems: Howdi, touched on this in another thread but now its starting to get anooooooooying!

I work in Maya, have no other 3D app so have to use it for everything, including static meshes. Because Maya doesn't support output of these file types I have had to use the ActorX Unreal plugin to do it for me. Up until now it has worked just fine.

However I'm building the inside of a bus to open my level. Creating this as a single mesh would create a massive headache for UV layouts, so what I've opted to do is build Each section (seats, body, poles) seperately, with their own unique materials and UV layouts.

First of all I imported each of these assets into Doom 3 (sort of rebuilding the bus within Radiant) and got the following results:



Yes its ugly, but its working. I then figured it may be better to bring all these assets into one scene in Maya, and export them all (still with unique UV layouts) as a single mesh. So I did this, went into the new ASE file and pointed all the materials to the ones i'd created. However although it loads the model just fine (and does have a material applied to it) this is what I get:



Yes, a dam ugly pile of crap.

Anyone got any ideas how I could sort this?

[EDIT] Make sure you use the 'http://' bit before www. other wise the board code doesn't auto parse urls. kat



Bittoman@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:15 pm    Post subject: : The D3 engine doesn't support a single object with multiple materials applied like model editors do. You can keep each object as a seperate object and export them as a single model file and apply a single unique material to each object within the model though. Short of some dodgy vertex painting it's the only way to apply multiple materials to a single model


Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:51 pm    Post subject: : oh sorry i dont think i made myself very clear

The objects I am having trouble with are exported as a single file, but if you open them in maya they're all seperate.

I basically did the following:

Built Chair.mb file
Built Body.mb file
Built Pole.mb file

I then started a new scene, imported them all in, made sure they were good for exporting and exported the entire scene as a new ASE file. The assets were NOT combined into one piece of geometry. So although its one model in Doom, technically they're all seperate. I just don't friggin understand whats wrong with the textures!



Bittoman@Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 6:11 pm    Post subject: : Are you exporting the model as an ASE? If so open up the ASE file in Notepad and check how many seperate BITMAP links are listed and if they are listed as totally seperate or as children of a single material (the "children" will be embedded under one material link if that's the case). You want them all to be completely independant materials.


kat@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:43 am    Post subject: : Bittomans quite correct on this one... the 1st worked because each object has a separate material and texture reference; the moment you combine them the way you have (and probably more the way to do with how the UT ASE exporter works) it'll create child > parent relationships as Bittoman pointed out above. You can't have those in Doom 3 and get working materials on ASE models.

I suspect that although you have each object separate in Maya, the exporter *is* combining them into one object, Blender USMExporter does the same thing because it was written with the same 'limitations' in mind.
_________________
Co-Admin - Modelling and modding tutorials and tips



Rayne@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:48 am    Post subject: : http://www.highend3d.com/maya/downloads/plugins/utility_external/export/3721.html


Try this and let me know... Now I have to be quick, but I'm trying to solve this issue so I'll post my tests...
_________________
theRev is coming...



Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:48 pm    Post subject: : from what I've seen on the specs of that exporter it looks like its been tailored perfectly for the job, sadly however I am running Maya 6.0 so the dam thing wont install! My internet is running incredibly slow so im having trouble searching the rest of the site, but if anyone knows of a version for Maya 6.0 I would be exceeeeedingly greatful.


Bittoman@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:41 pm    Post subject: : You can try this, you might have to learn a little about another model editor (not a bad thing) though. All you really need is the mesh and uv coordinates for the model so you could simply export the mesh data to something compatible with multiple editors (like obj) and then import it into Blender and use Goofos' script to export to ASE. It'll obviously not be the best method but it's one that would work and does work (I've exported many models with seperate objects and materials embedded and not had any real problems yet with it). There are also 3rd party programs that do nothing but import and export model files (essentially a conversion program), I don't use any but I've seen mention of at least one here on the forum.


Koroshiya Ichi@Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:02 pm    Post subject: : ahh fantastic that sounds like it might work. Thikning about it I've got a friend who has lightwave, i could probably email him the OBJ versions of my scene and get him to export them to LWO, since that's also an accepted format for meshes.

cheers!