Digital Art Zone

Using Carrara 8 Pro for game engines UDK and UNITY

What is the best FBX export configuration for Victoria and Michael with cloths, skin texture and animation together from Carrara 8 Pro to UDK and UNITY please?

With several options checked or unchecked, I tried to export the Victoria 4.2 using the existing FBX 7.1 exporter from Carrara 8 Pro to UDK and UNITY.  Victoria’s animation and Mimic Pro’s lip sync beautifully works within UNITY but she is appearing naked in UNITY.  When I exported it as a FBX, I could not select cloths and export it with victoria in Carrara.  Carrara’s FBX exporter might not have exported cloths.  Please see attached screen shots. 

When I tried to import it into UDK, UDK is saying “An out of date FBX has been detected. Importing different versions of FBX files than the SDK version can cause undesirable results.

File Version: 7.1.0
SDK Version: 7.2.0”

I clicked OK.  This is what I saw next:

“Warning: No smoothing group information was found in this FBX scene.  Please make sure to enable the “Export Smoothing Groups” option in the FBX exporter plug-in before exporting the file. Even for tools that don’t support smoothing groups, the FBX exporter will generate appropriate smoothing data at export-time so that correct vertex normals can be inferred while importing.”

I clicked OK.

Victoria4.2 showed up in the content browser of UDK but she is appearing naked in UDK scene as well. 

There are many ways I can add cloths and skin texture to Victoria in UDK and UNITY but features are very limited and complicated in UDK and UNITY to enhance naked Victoria and Michael.  I want to see Victoria and Michael in UDK and UNITY like the one we have on DAZ website’s home page.

I am sure that DAZ will eventually release future Carrara with a game engine in order to keep the product in good shape in the market but in the meantime, I want to get on with Carrara 8 Pro, UDK and UNITY.

In my experience, Carrara 8 Pro is much more compatible with UNITY than UDK but UDK’s overall graphic display is much better than UNITY.

What is the best FBX export configuration for Victoria and Michael with cloths, skin texture and animation together from Carrara 8 Pro to UDK and UNITY please? or , am I expecting too much from DAZ products with too complicated applications like UDK and UNITY?

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

only if he is producing a game for redistribution to others
just personal use for learning or to produce video renders ok
prob learning how first before investing in a gaming license a good idea!
try fbx 6 Not 7
also using the free Autodesk FBX converter to make it 2012 and check your export in the viewer.
going to animation, selecting the hip and a clothing prop, not figure and attaching the prop clothes to the skeleton works ok for export too but conformed clothes should also.
Carrara native rigging also exports,
my own main limitation is a lack of understanding of using Unity and Unreal
I myself have never gotten a high poly figure like V4 into Unity and never got the hang of locking the transforms.
crashes all too easily.
with Unreal I get terribly confused working out how to use animation in Matinee and Kismet with all those links and events and stuff have put animated figures into the foliage scene but hopeless at trying to animate a camera etc in it! I have only done screen captures with Cam studio using the game engine full screen.
again a crashy blighter too!
fun fiddling but too much hard work for me to make a hobby of it!

bigh - 05 August 2012 06:28 AM

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

Hi Bigh

There is very little information at the above license link.  What does this license mean?

Mani

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 03:29 AM

bigh - 05 August 2012 06:28 AM

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

Hi Bigh

There is very little information at the above license link.  What does this license mean?

Mani

you need it if you are producing a game for redistribution to others .

bigh - 06 August 2012 03:34 AM

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 03:29 AM

bigh - 05 August 2012 06:28 AM

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

Hi Bigh

There is very little information at the above license link.  What does this license mean?

Mani

you need it if you are producing a game for redistribution to others .

Do you mean that I need the above license in order to use Carrara 8 Pro, Mimic Pro, Hexagon, Bryce, Victoria, Michael, Genesis figures and other Daz products for UDK and UNITY game developments whether commercial or free distribution to others on web, mobile or standalone application without any commercial ads on it?

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 04:03 AM

bigh - 06 August 2012 03:34 AM

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 03:29 AM

bigh - 05 August 2012 06:28 AM

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

Hi Bigh

There is very little information at the above license link.  What does this license mean?

Mani

you need it if you are producing a game for redistribution to others .

Do you mean that I need the above license in order to use Carrara 8 Pro, Mimic Pro, Hexagon, Bryce, Victoria, Michael, Genesis figures and other Daz products for UDK and UNITY game developments whether commercial or free distribution to others on web, mobile or standalone application without any commercial ads on it?

free or not - ads or not - far as I know

bigh - 06 August 2012 04:21 AM

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 04:03 AM

bigh - 06 August 2012 03:34 AM

Mani_London_UK - 06 August 2012 03:29 AM

bigh - 05 August 2012 06:28 AM

well to start you will need this -
http://www.daz3d.com/shop/indie-game-developer-license/

Hi Bigh

There is very little information at the above license link.  What does this license mean?

Mani

you need it if you are producing a game for redistribution to others .

Do you mean that I need the above license in order to use Carrara 8 Pro, Mimic Pro, Hexagon, Bryce, Victoria, Michael, Genesis figures and other Daz products for UDK and UNITY game developments whether commercial or free distribution to others on web, mobile or standalone application without any commercial ads on it?

free or not - ads or not - far as I know

I am on early stage of planning a game with Daz applications with UDK & UNITY.  I do not mind to pay $500 for a license if any games realise commercial income.  I will only know the commercial value at end of the production but in the meantime I may distribute few short games on Google play, iTune and on websites for free download to find out the commercial value for other future commercial games.

I have contacted Daz sale to find out a bit more about it.  And, there are various resources available for UDK and UNITY other than Daz products . 

Thank you for your responses.
Mani

you can certainly use Carrara and Hexagon to build your own models or modify redistributable non-Daz assets and Carrara and studio to rig them.
I am not sure about Project Human by Sixus or the Zygote female on ShareCG but these might be able to be used in a game, check with the creators.
likewise CGspeed Carnegie Mellon University Mocap BVH files.

wendy♥catz - 05 August 2012 08:31 AM

only if he is producing a game for redistribution to others
just personal use for learning or to produce video renders ok
prob learning how first before investing in a gaming license a good idea!
try fbx 6 Not 7
also using the free Autodesk FBX converter to make it 2012 and check your export in the viewer.
going to animation, selecting the hip and a clothing prop, not figure and attaching the prop clothes to the skeleton works ok for export too but conformed clothes should also.
Carrara native rigging also exports,
my own main limitation is a lack of understanding of using Unity and Unreal
I myself have never gotten a high poly figure like V4 into Unity and never got the hang of locking the transforms.
crashes all too easily.
with Unreal I get terribly confused working out how to use animation in Matinee and Kismet with all those links and events and stuff have put animated figures into the foliage scene but hopeless at trying to animate a camera etc in it! I have only done screen captures with Cam studio using the game engine full screen.
again a crashy blighter too!
fun fiddling but too much hard work for me to make a hobby of it!

Thanks Wendy

Yes. I have tried everything including grouping cloths with victoria, FBX6, FBX2012 & FBX2013.  Victoria is still naked in UDK and UNITY.  Various 3rd party’s human models and creatures works fine with textures in UDK and UNITY but no lip sync.  There is also license issues for Vic & Mic.  There is also issues bringing characters in cinema style close up with dialogue in UDK and UNITY.  So, I am planning to use non-Daz models and without close up dialogue in the first few short 3D game developments.  I will use Hexagon, Bryce and Carrara 8 Pro for rigging and animation and other construction works and textures.

Update:

At this point, I have now decided not to use Victoria or Michael in my game developments in UDK and UNITY.

have you looked at iClone and 3dxchange pipeline?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wEjSMCW068
not cheap but their figures are lowpoly, Pipeline includes a license for using default content so factoring that in helps, and you can buy licenses per figure from content developers on their marketplace too.

wendy♥catz - 07 August 2012 12:19 PM

have you looked at iClone and 3dxchange pipeline?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wEjSMCW068
not cheap but their figures are lowpoly, Pipeline includes a license for using default content so factoring that in helps, and you can buy licenses per figure from content developers on their marketplace too.

Thanks Wendy.

Money and time are key factors here.  I cannot spend any more money on software and 3D models for games unless I know there is a market for my games.  I have range of software and legal 3D models.  I need to use what I have already.  I need to sit more time in front of the computer.  Thats all.

Good job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCVnm1boITs&feature=plcp

In terms of the license, this is the reply I received from Daz:

“The game developer licenses are not required for the use of DAZ Applications. Rather, the game developer licenses are required for the DISTRIBUTION of DAZ Content (models, animations, etc)”

Mani

as I said, if you are just importing models into game engines to learn to make a game and not sharing or redistributing it there is no need for a license
the license is needed if you upload the game for others to use, free or paid no difference, just like music and videos for personal use ok but you need to pay royalties to perform or play them in public or put in a movie etc.
Renders still or video ok, (or sprite based games for example) it is just redistribution of the actual mesh that requires licensing.
the highpoly Daz models not really suited to games anyway.