FBX export G8 with "welded" eyelashes?

dizzy88

Is there any way to export Genesis 8 female with eyelashes & body as a single mesh?  If G8F genitalia are attached to the body in DS, then FBX export gives me a mesh with the genitalia as part of the body ("welded" to the body).  How can we get the same thing to happen with the eyelashes?

I've tried exporting with "Merge clothing into figure skeleton" enabled, but it doesn't change the eyelashes - it's still a separate mesh.

Seven193

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dizzy88

The eyes, mouth, tongue, and everything except the eyelashes are a single mesh when exported as FBX.  They aren't even separate figures in DS, like the eyelashes and gens are.  The eyes, teeth, eyemoisture, etc. do not share vertices with the body, but they are exported with the skin as a single object.

Maintaining separated eyelashes is messy and complicates things for me when trying to rig G8 in Maya and UE4.  It's not as simple as just transferring the skin weights over, as I want to use morphs for facial expressions due to influence limits.  I honestly don't understand the reason behind it, since previous figures had normal eyelashes and that didn't seem to be problematic.  I have dealt with characters that have separate eye, head, hands, and feet meshes, but I'm not aware of any that have separate eyelashes.  It's bizarre and very inconvenient.

So the only way to achieve this is by attempting to convert them to geografts?

Seven193

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dizzy88

I'd prefer the eyelashes welded, but it would be good enough to have them as part of the same "object," as with the eyes/teeth/gens etc.  Both UE4 and Maya refer to these as a "mesh," but you can use "object" or whatever terminology, I guess.

I realize it's possible to do this with OBJ export, which is why I was asking about FBX.  OBJ is simply vertex/face/group/mat definition data, without skin weights or automatic generation of morph targets.

Given that I have (at least for now) less than a dozen morph targets affecting the eyelashes, I suppose I can combine the meshes in Maya and regenerate the targets one by one, then transfer weights over.  I just don't understand the decision to a) have a separate figure for the eyelashes in DS, and b) not have them geografted.  It seems to add unnecessary complications both inside and outside DS, with no clear benefit.

Seven193

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dizzy88

No.  A "mesh" in UE4 and Maya is what you describe as an "object."  In UE4, it may consist of one, two, or 50 contiguous polygon groups, but it is still called a "mesh."  Same thing in Maya: a single mesh may consist multiple disjoint sets of connected faces, and combining two meshes gives you a single mesh:

A polygon mesh can also be composed of several disjointed sets of connected polygons called shells. The outside edges of a mesh or shell are referred to as border edges.

Aside from that, the term "object" is extremely confusing, as it may refer to non-polygonal entities (curves, NURBS surfaces, transforms, lights).  And being pedantic with terminology is not helpful, especially when it adds to the confusion because it's incorrect.

You said:

Eyelashes don't need to be geografted either, they just need to put them into the same group with the other meshes.

But earlier:

The eyelashes are not geografts, so it's not going to happen.

I'm confused.

Seven193

Well then I give up.

nonesuch00

You can export the eyelashes so that they are properly parented to the mesh. It's just a checkbox you use when you export.