Help Importing From Max to Daz
Collective3d
Posts: 446
Hi all, hoping for a little help here.
I am building various props/sets/garments for Daz in 3ds Max (currently using version 2012 but have had the same issue with previous versions) using the OBJ format.
Everything exports and imports cleanly, except when the objects appear in Daz they are grossly out of scale and rotated on their axis from how they were modeled in Max.
For props this isn't really a major problem. I just re-scale them in Daz, apply the textures, and save. For clothing, however, I scale, rotate, and match the garment to the model before running the Transfer Utility, and as soon as the utility is finished the mesh returns to its original gigantic (or minuscule) size and orientation.
The garments are modeled in Max using a Genesis shape exported from Daz as the base, so in Max the garment is relative to the model in size, proportion, and location. I have tried various different unit scales within Max (inches, millimeters, generic, etc) as well as different export presets (none, Daz3d, Poser), and different import presets in Daz (3ds Max, custom, etc).
I have not had much luck getting meshes exported from Max to import into Daz in their proper scale and orientation.
Can anyone shed some light?
Thanks!
*Edit*
Of course, it takes posting here for me to partially solve the issue myself. I have figured out the orientation and relative position to the origin, and have worked out a combination of export and import settings that mostly get the scale correct. I would still be interested in learning the workflow of other artists who export from Max to Daz and see how they line up with mine.
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Comments
Expand the option dialogue when importing -you should be able to select a 3DS preset from the list that will handle scaling and axes, assuming your Genesis OBJ was exported with the 3DS Max settings
Yeah, oddly, using the 3ds Max preset in Daz is what does the worst job of importing the object in terms of scale and orientation. I was able to correct that by using Custom and setting the X, Y, Z, and scale values myself.
If it was that easy, I wouldn't have had a problem. I teach college level graphics design for a living, including all the Adobe and Autodesk suites and several game engines, so I am generally pretty good at figuring out new things, and do seem to have this one figured out as well.
Thanks for your response!
Something I've noticed about the presets...they seem a little dated. Like they may have been true a few versions ago, but aren't now...
It's like most of the software is quietly moving towards the same scaling, orientation settings but not really any 'standard'...
Its funny, for sure. Although, given the number of possible settings you can use in Max, both in terms of scale and in terms of the exporter options for the various file formats, there are bound to be discrepancies. The OBJ exporter, for instance, is much more robust in terms of presets than I remember it being even 5 years ago.
The last two builds of Blender I've used...2.62 and 2.64...I've been using something other than the Blender import...because at least on my system Blender is now exporting an obj as X=horizontal, Y=vertical and Z=depth (front/back) where it used to be Y and Z were swapped (internally Blender is still 'swapped'...I don't use the other export options much, so I don't know their orientations...).
I'd suggest this. (As this is what works for me.)
1) Export Genesis to OBJ from DS using 3dsMAX export presets.
2) Now Import that Genesis OBJ to your 3dsmax scene. Used Daz Studio Preset. uncheck the boxes "Flip ZY Axis" & "Retriangulate polygons" and for the sake of neatness, check "Import as single mesh" and maybe also "convert to editable poly".
3) In Max, Scale & postion your scene or clothing meshes to the correct proportions using the Genesis figure as a reference. You'll likley be shrinking it way down - so you will need to turn on the viewport clipping plane to increase you minimum draw depth in the perspective viewport.
4) Re export Max Scene to OBJ - I recomend you flip normals before you do, and use Quads (the former doesn't matter much for studio, but it matters for Poser) and finally - DO NOT Check: "Flip YZ Axis (poser like)"
5) Re import scene/clothing OBJ back into Daz Studio, again using 3dsMax presets - Scale, orientation & postition will all be spot on!
The 3dsMax import preset in DS brings your .Obj into DS exactly as it is scaled and positioned in Max - nothing more, nothing less. If your clothing/prop is not scaled correctly for DazStudio in Max before you export it.... well, you know what happens. (it will be HUGE).
Another tip: You can create your Material zones (or surface groups) for Daz Studio while still in Max, simply apply different named materials to different faces in your mesh where you want them, DS will interpret the mat ID's as the Surface groups. And Since Max has far more powerful poly editing tools than DS, it will save you bucket load of time in DS later.
One final tip: If you what to make clothing fit to particular Genesis shape via custom morphs, be wary of the down scaling in DS, for instance, the stephanie, Basic child and V5 reduce the Scale of Genesis, if you wish to make custom morph fits for such shapes, you must dial the shape in then set the scale back to 100% in Daz Studio before you export them to obj for your modler.
IMO The OBj exporter/importer in Daz Studio 4+ is actually rather solid, far superior to Posers one anyway.
hope this helps.
Wow thanks Dogz I'm doing the 30day trial of Max 2016 and these will come in handy, only trouble I'm having at the moment is scaling zooming in max is insanely sensitive and bevel are so touchy I think it because of the OBJ scale being so small maybe I have to scale it up to navigate and model then scale it back down when I export.
Hey MS, when typing in a value to bevel / extrude /chamfer etc in Max, you can add messurment units for more precision,
So instead of just typing the value as '0.1' for example, try typing: '0.1cm' or '0.1mm' hell you can have 0.001mm if you need it :)
But if you need to do that, it might be a bit screwy as the result of scaling down your mesh -and Max is still using appropriate messurements /units for the meshes orginal scale when you built it, Try 'reset Xform' under the utilities tab on the right (little hammer icon), Think that might sort it for you.
You can actually set this up properly in Max, as there's Units setup someplace, I dont use it very often personally. This its under Customize/ units setup or something like that,
'reset Xform' I've heard of that. The first week I'm just getting the basics down I think the graphite modeling tools look excellent will focusing on them.
Cheers !
Thanks Dogz! I had such a nightmare this past week as i just got the max 2016. I was all done with my model and tried to import everything to daz studio to see the scale. Usually this isn't a problem. However, this time everything is out of proportion and now i'm trying to rescale the model in Hex. My timeline for product completion is totally thrown now..so in that way i'm not a happy camper.
I'll be using your tips next time. Thanks so much.
Muze and Dogz, thxs for this precise information. Have found some very interesting environment interiors built in 3D Studio Max, in .max files, that are unique, very high quality and affordable. As architectural structures, the instruction first 'Export Genesis to OBJ from DS using 3dsMAX export presets' is not relevent. How would you tweak the above set of instructions for stages, sets, interiors, environments, etc, and will the textures attached to these surfaces import into Daz successfully too....? thxs in advance....