FBX Geometry to Blend / Morph process

[mjr1973]

Just started using TD but I'm familiar with the process of things

But I'm at a loss for the correct process to bring in models from 3DSMAX via FBX export to get them into usable blend shapes.

Spent many hours searching for information, but I'm missing something.

I can get shapes that are made in TD connected to the Blend, but I cannot seem to load the FBX models and get it into a format that allows me to link it to the Blend.

If someone could give me a 1,2,3 process or point me to a tutorial.. I would truly appreciate it..

thx
mJR

[mjr1973]

Ok, did some more digging.. Found if I load the FBX file into a Geo Network, go in to the base level where it is a MESH and then export that out as a TD mesh.. I'm able to RELOAD that and go directly into a blend..

But it would be nice if I could just import the FBX directly and send it to the Blend, if that is possible.. I don't know..

mJR

[malcolm]

When you import your FBX file it will already create .tog files for you that you can load into other File SOPs.
We can't load a .fbx file into a single SOP, since .fbx files have way more data than a single object (including multiple objects)

[mjr1973]

I just realized, I put this in the WRONG forum section..

that would make sense, since FBX encapsulate more than just meshes..

so, the Q would be, is there way to connect down to the base MESH SOP at the upper level of the MULTI objected FBX Comp?

so that you can.. say, use that MESH SOP in the BLEND SOP

for example.. you have a base mesh, that has a few objects attached to it, parented.. then you have different versions of the base mesh, all lined up in a FBX, say a HEAD with multiple faces.. but eyes that just rotate..

when you load the FBX COMP you see at that level.. all the objects together in their own COMPs, but you need to only BLEND the base mesh down a few levels..

there must be a list function, that links things up and down the levels of the COMP.. going to check the tutorials again..

thx for the input
mJR

[malcolm]

The FBX file actually has support for blend shape networks, and if you export from your authoring app in that format, the network will already be setup for you (using Blend CHOPs and CHOP To SOP nodes to do the blending, which is faster).

[mjr1973]

That's what I was looking for.. the TO operators that allow one type to control a different type.. taking raw data over to texture over to geometry OPs..

I just saw one in the default setup when you start TD.

thx.. I will delve into those a bit more in the WIKI

mJR

[mjr1973]

I think I may be butting up against an limitation here for importing models into TD with FBX..

I haven't been able to merge objects and hold onto their materials..

A popular technique in 3dsMAX is to create objects, then assign sub object materials to them..

For example.. say you have a square.. and each side of the square is numbered 1 through 6.. each number has it's own material, for now, just a different colors..

When I import that into TD.. it splits all the sides into 6 different pieces based on their materials..

Is it just the nature of TD that the model will always break apart? or is there a way I can keep the model as a whole?

now I can manually merge them with a MergeSop but then I am informed that the SOP will only accept ONE material for the object, thus loosing the individual sides's color.

I have seen a few models.. that have multiple colors on them as one object.. Is my only option to bake out a texture map and texture it in TD or am I missing a step or OP I could use to assign colors / texture to individual polygon selections or objects after they are merged?

thanks
mJR

[malcolm]

Hey, it's not actually a limitation of the FBX importing but of SOPs in general. All SOPs (even if you texture and model inside of TD) can only have one material applied to them at a time.
The reason for this is because there is a large cost involved with switching materials and with each render execution.

Why do you need to merge the objects though? As long as they are all inside the same Geometry COMP they will move together and can still all have their own materials applied.

With your cube example, the best performing way to do this is to actually have your 6 images combined into a single large texture and have your 6 cube faces reference different parts of this texture by setting up your texture coordinates correctly in your modeling package. That way it they only have 1 material applied to the object as a whole, and it should come through the FBX import as a single model. This is called using a Texture Atlas and is used extensively in games and real-time rendering.

So you should keep modeling and importing through FBX, you aren't losing anything by using the FBX importer.

[mjr1973]

Thx for getting back so fast, was up till 6am slogging through wikis and forums.. seems I may be doing something very few are right now.. that being digital puppetry

I needed the objects merged, to put back the puppets face.. since the import was breaking apart the puppets, eyes, nose, skin, inner mouth, I needed it back together to use a BLEND on it as a whole..

Then once back together, I ran the different heads, only 4 right now for testing, into the BLEND..

but after speaking to you, and exhausting all other ways of import / export.. that I need to do it all "game style" texturing and uvmapping, which is ok.. worked a bit on an XBOX game in the past.. so it just a bit more time consuming.. I was just hoping "fingers crossed" it was going to like my models the same as MotionBuilder does.. but.. hey.. TD I think is more powerful than MB especially for LIVE playback vs pumping the data back into MAX or MAYA for rendering..

Thx.. mJR

[malcolm]

Ah I see. I'll mention again that it's actually far better to do your blends in CHOPs using a Blend CHOP instead of using a Blend SOP (performance wise). If you setup your blend network in Maya/3dmax it should be imported into TD with this CHOP blending network setup for you already.