Merging two objects into one.

ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
edited December 1969 in The Commons

I found a really nice computer model for free at an other 3d asset site. It came as an OBJ file. After fiddling with it, I've gotten it to work great in Daz, with 2 of them parented, and polygons removed so it can tilt up and down. (That's how a FBX version of the file asks, but it's geometry seemed messed up so I wasn't able to texture it right..but since it came as two objects, i'd be in the same boat with it).

I'd like to save it. Now, I can do a "scene subset" but that's not quite where I want to go. I tried saving as a Prop Asset, but it only takes the first of the two objects.

Ideally, I'd like to make the two into one, so selecting the child piece selects the whole, it can be saved, etc.

Is this at all possible?

Comments

  • FirstBastionFirstBastion Posts: 7,220
    edited December 1969

    Just export it as an obj. Then import that new obj and save as a prop asset.

  • EleleElele Posts: 1,097
    edited June 2015

    You can always export the whole thing as one obj out of DS (make sure you select the same import and export settings).
    If it is one .obj file you'll probably have less trouble saving it as a DS content file.


    EDIT: Aaarrrggghh... FBd!

    Post edited by Elele on
  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    IF I export it as an OBJ...will it maintain it's ability to tilt? I know it'll lose it's textures, but that can be fixed.

  • EleleElele Posts: 1,097
    edited December 1969

    Scavenger said:
    IF I export it as an OBJ...will it maintain it's ability to tilt? I know it'll lose it's textures, but that can be fixed.

    No it will no longer be able to tilt, unless you rig it.

    As an alternative, you could save them as 2 props, with one a smart prop of the other?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,219
    edited December 1969

    A scene subset would surely work? It will then merge into other scene as required, just like a figure. Or save as scene assets, also in the File>save as>Support Assets sub menu.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited June 2015

    Exporting as an object won't work because, as I said in the first post:
    "After fiddling with it, I’ve gotten it to work great in Daz, with 2 of them parented, and polygons removed so it can tilt up and down. "

    Scene Subset won't work because, as I said in the first post:
    "Now, I can do a “scene subset” but that’s not quite where I want to go"

    I'll try the "Scene Asset"...

    EDIT: after trying. Nope. That doesn't do it. It saves both objects, but loses all settings, so they're not connected, The scale isn't kept, nor are the hidden parameters. (It also grabs everything in the scene but that's a simple fix.

    So, what I'm seeing is there is no way in Daz Studio to make these two objects stay together in a saveable format (other than scene subset) ? ie to convert the double obj into a moveable prop?

    EDIT: x2 Clicking the "SEND TO HEXAGON" link for the first time did send the two objects into hexagon in the right positions with the pivot point looking like it's been maintained... is there some way in that to say "this is linked to that?"

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    Post edited by Scavenger on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,219
    edited December 1969

    Why doesn't Scene Subset work? Are the items parented? Scene Assets works with parented items for me -the main drawback is that it saves as a scene not a scene subset, so you have to explicitly tell DS to merge to add it to an existing scene.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Because I want a solid prop. I want when you click on the child obj, the screen, that you grab the whole object to move around.

    I rejected it as an option.

    As for the idea "Save as Scene Asset" I had to crash and restart my regular saved scene due to a render freeze. When I opened it back up, the below picture is what I got.

    That white blob in the middle with the ruler sticking out? That's the chair from the other thread, after spending hours getting the surfaces set using the "simple" geometry editor.

    The white blob in the corner is the iMac this thread is about.

    Your suggestion of "saving as a scene asset" had it switch all of the stuff in the scene to the "saved as scene asset" stuff, rather than not touching them and having them point to their original files. When (two posts above) I found that the "Save as Scene Asset" didn't do the job I needed, so I deleted those files from my computer.

    So, I've now lost many many hours of work. the iMac is still sitting in Hexagon, so maybe I can move it back, which is something..but unless there's some trick someone knows, the chair and it's surfaces is now gone.

    On the plus side, I guess I'm going to get a test of how effective the new anti-depression meds my doctor put me on work.

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  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,219
    edited December 1969

    The white boxes are missing geometry assets. Saving as Scene Assets shouldn't have overwritten the auto-adapted data from an existing scene - are you sure your content directory settings weren't lost? If you save a scene any auto-adapted assets go to the same DAZ Studio content directory as the scene file, if you are saving to a mapped location, or into the first DAZ Studio content directory, if you save to a location that isn't inside a content directory.

    It sounds as if you want a figure - for that you do want a single OBJ with groups, which you can then turn into a figure with the Figure Setup pane.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    The white boxes are missing geometry assets. Saving as Scene Assets shouldn't have overwritten the auto-adapted data from an existing scene -

    Maybe it shouldn't, but it did.

    The floating geometric shapes are from a DIM installed room set. It reloads from the content folder just fine.

    I just went into the duf file with a text editor to see if I could change the paths back.

    This is the chair:

    
    geometry_library" : [
      {
       "id" : "mpm_F16",
       "source" : "/data/todd/Product/mpm_F16/mpm_F16.dsf#mpm_F16",
    
    

    That's where the Scene Asset put stuff.

    This is the auto-adapted path.

    
    /data/auto_adapted/mpm_F16_9294/geometry_d8fd7deb_4c90_92b7_1add_c09d32f324de/mpm_F16/mpm_F16.dsf

    I tried changing the paths back, but it didn't work.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 96,219
    edited December 1969

    Does /data/auto_adapted/mpm_F16_9294/geometry_d8fd7deb_4c90_92b7_1add_c09d32f324de/mpm_F16/mpm_F16.dsf exist anywhere on your system?

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Yes. That's how I knew what the path was.


    The files from there were completely unrecoverable.

    BUT, I save the 2 imac parts in Hex, installed Hex on my windows emulator, used it's SEND TO DAZ (because that was never added to the Mac version) to get it into Daz, where I'm now at the next problem in fixing this....

    IN THE fist PICTURE are two identical objects...the upper one is the imported FBX object (with messed up surfaces -- see other topic)..the bottom is the recovered object of mine. This is in joint editor and you'll note that while their start/end points are both at 0,0,0,, the joint markers are in very different locations. (the rotation is set on the bottom to have them facing the same way.)

    The second picture shows the rotations set the same at 0,0,0, as well, and they're locations being put in the same place.

    How do I make mine (lower) match the upper. Can this be done?

  • Design Anvil - Razor42Design Anvil - Razor42 Posts: 1,232
    edited December 1969

    Export to obj - reimport - convert to figure - rig bones - save as support asset figure/ prop - done.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Razor 42 said:
    Export to obj - reimport - convert to figure - rig bones - save as support asset figure/ prop - done.

    How does any of that work, as from what I know and have tried, you'd export two items into one object, which merges them so they don't move anymore when you reimport.

  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    Doesth thou have a link for this free .obj file?

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Doesth thou have a link for this free .obj file?

    sure: http://www.modelplusmodel.com/tech/f18-desktop-computer.html the chair there is the big white blob in the above picture..I haven't bothered trying to fix it yet

  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    Scavenger said:
    Doesth thou have a link for this free .obj file?

    sure: http://www.modelplusmodel.com/tech/f18-desktop-computer.html the chair there is the big white blob in the above picture..I haven't bothered trying to fix it yet

    I see no chair in the link? anyhow for starters, the .obj file crashes Hexagon.

    so, imported via D/S, exported out, that imported into Hexagon ... wowser, resized it down, repositioned it, it is only one part.

    made it 2 parts


    um, you will want to redo the uvmaps anyways ... and that then will help with your question also in another thread ... since you have the texture images, one can either make and put the uvtemplates to match the pictures OR just make some nice uvmaps then place the textures in the right place on the template using that image editor that works with layers.

    For answering this thread I am not redoing the uvmap 'cause first I would want to fix the mesh to my specifications and that's another whole ballgame.

    I'll bring this next into D/S4.8 something and see if the rigging gadget still works ;-)

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  • Design Anvil - Razor42Design Anvil - Razor42 Posts: 1,232
    edited June 2015

    Okay here is a very basic tut for creating a simple rig for something like a two piece monitor. Its by no means comprehensive and somewhat basic but may serve as to a basic introduction to the process let me know if anything is too vague and I will try to add more detailed info.

    Edited to fix image order see next

    Post edited by Design Anvil - Razor42 on
  • Design Anvil - Razor42Design Anvil - Razor42 Posts: 1,232
    edited December 1969

    Simple tut for rigging

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  • Design Anvil - Razor42Design Anvil - Razor42 Posts: 1,232
    edited December 1969

    Second part of tut

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  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited June 2015

    Found a memory bug in D/S :-(

    Anyhow, in a FRESH opening of D/S import the .obj file.
    Yes one can use the Edit geometry to convert prop to figure ... choose legacy.
    If you like it, export out the .cr2 to save it.
    Then you may or not wish to fine tune the bones using the joint editor tools and re-export the figure to save the changes.

    The bug is that if the first attempt flubs and one clears the scene and reimports the same .obj file, then the programs still thinks it is a figure and will not convert the prop to to a figure.


    edit ... oh a nice tutorial was added to the thread too, thanks :-)

    Post edited by patience55 on
  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    I tried the other method that was mentioned. Works quite quickly.

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  • patience55patience55 Posts: 7,006
    edited December 1969

    This chair?

    It's nice. Imported it into D/S first too and then into Hexagon. Slapped on a uvmap and fixed it a little using Shading Domains, back in D/S made it into a prop file with 2 surfaces. Thanks for the link info in the other thread :-)

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  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    The model has some mesh problems...mostly some n-gons in the corners and ugly screen/glass geometry. But turning smoothing off, makes it all flat and pretty, at least at anything other than a close-up.

    Did you grab the mouse and keyboard too? I don't know what to do with cord for the keyboard, because that would be a bear to rig...basically, you need to do what was outlined above, but since the cord doesn't already have a bunch of face groups, you would need to make them...about 20 to 50 of them (to give nice smooth bends)...then make child bones for each...and really play with the weight maps.

  • ScavengerScavenger Posts: 2,664
    edited December 1969

    Thanks Razor and Patience...I appreciate all that info.. FOR NOW, I'm using my 2 objects parented...I need to get this art project done, but I'll want to use this again, so I'll be back to that:)

    MJC: I did grab them, but I haven't looked at them yet. I was guessing the cord wouldn't pose, though, so figured I'd hide the polygons and make it a blue tooth keyboard :)

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited June 2015

    Scavenger said:
    Thanks Razor and Patience...I appreciate all that info.. FOR NOW, I'm using my 2 objects parented...I need to get this art project done, but I'll want to use this again, so I'll be back to that:)

    MJC: I did grab them, but I haven't looked at them yet. I was guessing the cord wouldn't pose, though, so figured I'd hide the polygons and make it a blue tooth keyboard :)

    Yep, easiest thing to do with it...both the keyboard and mouse looked pretty clean and imported nicely on my end. I took the keyboard into Blender and found that it was in 3 parts...the keybord, cord and USB connector. So I just exported the keyboard by itself.

    Nice find, btw.

    On the monitor, the 'label' map is pretty much worthless, if you are using any kind of texture map, especially a tiling one. You may be able to extract some of the brushed aluminum texture from it and make a large map to use. Of course the way to fix it, redo the UV maps, as was suggested above. But most of the time, it's not going to be seen, so it's probably not worth the cost of another texture map (especially in Iray). Now if you are using a procedural brushed aluminum, that doesn't count on a tiling texture, you may be able to sneak it in...

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    Post edited by mjc1016 on
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