Digital Art Zone

Daz4 Pro. Win7 64. 12G. Dell Precision T3500 Quadro.

Bought Daz a year ago with hopes to use Daz models in my other applications iClone Zbrush Lumion. I’m amazed at the fact that a year later, the same old export errors have not been fixed. Yes I’ve read the most recent relevant posts here.

I still can’t export Obj without the no-texture problem. I still can’t export Collada dae without that dreaded error message. So I tried exporting using FBX, and installed Autodesk convertor as a tedious workaround. Exporting FBX failed, turned out that I don’t have the plug-in.

So I found the FBX plug-in and attempted install and guess what, the FBX plug-in “failed to find the install path”. Yes I tried both 3.x 64bitwin and plain win versions. My Precision system is super stable.

After a year and another round of errors and fact-finding frenzy, I still cannot export Daz models. This is simply crazy.

To top all of the above, documentation on export settings (why those check boxes exist and what purpose) is non-existent. This means checking and unchecking 20 times ten thousand variables before you can be sure this method doesn’t work.

Madness.

Please help. Please. Let me know this is not a waste of my money and time.

Lumion looks interesting, I’ve just registered and downloaded it.

I’m not sure what can be done with the free version. Can you pose a figure in Lumion?

Here’s Helix from a Poser runtime, loaded in DS4.5 and exported as FBX, then imported into Lumion:

I’m a bit curious about what error message you get when exporting to .dae? I ask because I have exported to collada myself without receiving any error messages, and imported to Blender without issues. Admittedly, these have been relatively simple rigged, not textured, models.

Can you post a screen shot of the options you are choosing when exporting as OBJ and the issues you are experiancing?

Thank you.

Thanks so much for your responses.

Prixat, good to see a successful Daz character import into Lumion, complete with textures too. Did you manage to import full-resolution? I got the free Lumion with import and overall features fully-functional. Need to confirm pipeline feasability before committing $1500.

My problem is I can’t even get Daz’s own FBX plug-in to install! So I can’t test the FBX route. Not sure if this is a D4 vs D4.5 issue - does FBX plug-in even work for Daz4Pro?

Rek, the error message exporting to ANY dae (custom/ generic COLLADA/ unity) is shown below in attached pic.

I was trying to export Genesis model with clothing into Lumion. Lumion users tried importing Daz Genesis with clothes on but failed with all standard formats including DAE. One managed with a workaround using U3D via a 3rdparty Convertor with some missing faces issue.

Tedious workarounds like this is simply unacceptable for prosumer products that claim USER-FRIENDLINESS as their main selling point.

Making Lumion-Daz pipeline a smooth one will not only make Lumion suddenly many times more attractive, it will create an INSTANT MARTKET for Daz models among existing Lumion users, who have been craving for better quality human models with animations for more than a year now.

Mattymanx, I tried exporting OBJs into Lumion using ALL 14 conversion choices (for 3DSmax to Maya Modo etc). The result, all export geometry correctly, without maps. A naked white OBJ figure with no eyes or colors is all Daz is capable of? I have tried all map export variations, the 14 conversion types also auto-assign and cover all map settings variations. This sounds like Daz failed to create a texture folder.

What do you guys think? I totally appreciate the help from the expert users. Still, where is the Daz tech support? Do they even have one? Is there a point of me paying for a full price DazPro and $7.95 a month for the last 12 months?

It is ridiculous that a character-generating program that claims to export in COLLADA, FBX failed to do so. Even their OBJ do not pack the maps properly. It is even more absurd that similar customer complaints have existed for a year, yet remained unaddressed officially.

The images doesn’t show inline, but I assume the error with reference to the log file is what you get when exporting to dae?
Very descriptive message. Have you checked the log file to see what it says? (I don’t know where the log file would be located, tho. Sorry)

I was also wondering if you get the error regardless of which model you are exporting to dae? Like if you create a new file, delete Genesis from it, add a primitive and export that. Do you still get the message? Or if you export a file with a character not based on Genesis?

Hi mythmaker…

Sorry to hear your having problems…

You can find the log file in Help > Troubleshooting > View Log File

Some basic info to help others try to assist you… what is your exact version of DS 4?  Export settings…Colladae…FBX…Object

Unless you are using one of the very early releases of DS4Pro, the FBX exporter has been built in to the main installer and is activated by your Pro Serial Number… so you shouldn’t need to install it seperately…

Also there were issues (bugs) with Colladae import/export and FBX in some versions of DS4.0…

As far as the material export for object files, well that’s touchy with allot of programs… different programs prefer the maps be located certain ways and written to the .obj and .mtl in specific ways, and then another program may not like that at all…

I know Colladae and Object are suppose to be standard formats, but apparently some interpret those standards differently…

And I agree… fiddling around with export and import options is a real pain when you don’t know what they do… for myself, the settings I choose are dependent on what program I’m importing or exporting to, so they change often… I create presets for each program once I find the right settings…

nicci…

Found the log file.

Error exporting file: C Exception: Memory Access Violation - Attempted to read memory at address 0x4f89fa48

Tried exporting a V4 hair in DAE, no error message, in Lumion it appears as a file and a blank object.

It is very frustrating. Nonetheless thanks again guys and gals for the help.

What version of DAZ Stdio 4.5 do you have installed?  4.5.1.6 or earlier?

Is DAZ Studio 32bit or 64 bit?

What version of the FBX Exporter are you trying to install?

Where on the hdd is DAZ Studio installed?  Program Files folder or elsewhere?

Using FBX Export or OBJ Export I was able to export Aiko3 with a character morph, skin and pose intact.  For OBJ Export, DAZ Studio writes the file path to the image maps in the MTL file.  If they are not collected then the file path leads to where they are in the Runtime.  All this is done in the latest version of DS45 - 4.5.1.6

One of the tricks I commonly use when exporting to OBJ, is to make a folder for that export, then making sure the ‘Collect Maps’ option is checked in the Export dialog, export everything to that folder.  That way the obj, mtl and texture files are all in the same location.  Then, when importing it into something else, there’s usually no problem finding the textures.

I tried another test with FBX, this is V5 and some v4 armour autofitted and an tiny bit of animation.

It still loses the pose and no animation came across. The same file keeps its pose in Cinema.

...but the clothing items worked and the textures look good.

By resolution, do you mean the mesh polycount?
In Cinema the import is the visibly faceted base mesh and I have to apply subdivision. I actually prefer this as it lets me keep the control within Cinema.

The imported figure has no noticeable faceting in Lumion and I didn’t have to do anything.

You may want to find out what version of FBX Export/Import that Lumion uses and see if DAZ has the same one available since there are different FXB export options

Mattymanx, I’ve just updated to 4.5pro latest build. FBX plugin is now working with exporting to Lumion as per prixat’s pic. Eyelash problem indicates potential hair transparency problem.

I’m giving up on exporting Daz to WYSIWYG render applications at the moment. If someone makes a WYSIWYG lighting stage plugin for 3delight that will be so awesome. Meanwhile I will attempt to do my final scenes in DAZ with 3delight. Contemplating spending on a GTX card. My quodro1800 is showing its age I think.

Mjc11016 thanks for the Obj tips. I anticipate issues with importing Sketchup OBJs and COLLADAs and materials/textures into Daz. Just installed the Autodesk FBX convertor hopefully that will resolve that problem.

Next is figuring out UVmapping issue between DAZ and Zbrush…

Thanks again for all your help!

Mythmaker - 01 December 2012 10:06 AM

Next is figuring out UVmapping issue between DAZ and Zbrush…

Thanks again for all your help!

I believe Zbrush flips them 180…

Are you using the GoZ bridge?  I’m not, so I don’t know for sure…but look for settings there, too.