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Blender Applink


haikalle
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Hi!

I did quick test and it seams that old bug has woke up. You can try this if this helps. When you bring a mesh into 3d-coat.

Go to uv room and press unwrap and then apply uv-set. There is this issue that one of the uv islands is very small. That would explain bad

resolution. Can you check if there is one uv island very small.

HI,

I'll give it a try soon.

I'm a bit busy on another project.

Thx

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • Applink Developer

Hi everyone! Hope everyone has a nice summer

I have been updating the script a little bit lately. Nothing so fancy, but just improve overall stability. Here is a list of changes:

-Normals are inverted again :)

-There should be much less sudden location changes when pressing import/export button.

-3D-coat -> Blender workflow works again. But now it works differently. When you have exported mesh from 3d-coat. unselected all in blender (a-key).

Now you should see button called "Bring from 3D-Coat". After you have pressed it. the script should bring the mesh into blender. Hope it works.

-Now you can multiselect objects and press import button and it will update all selected objects.

-Added default folder box. If you press export and there is empty objectdir path it try to see if there is default folder and set it into objectdir

if there is. This action dosen't export mesh yet. Second 'Export' click will export the mesh.

I updated the newest script into SVN this morning.

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Excellent!

BTW

What will happen with "cycles" is another matter. It seems that the nodal UI changes everything.

Cycles won't support normal maps as these come from scanline based render engines. It supports displacements as bumps though, meaning a different approach.

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  • Applink Developer

Thanks michalis!

I agree about "cycles". When it comes it will change a lot of things. But I think that it takes at least one year before it is in the trunk

so I hope that I have time to relax for while :)

Small update. One bad thing in the script so far has been that if you want to export or import mesh or textures, you have to go under scene tab and

find 3d-coat applink panel. Well, not anymore. Now there is applink screen menu. You can just select object(s) and double click you mouse and menu appears

to screen. Now you can select action from there. It makes workflow a little bit faster again. I will make a tutorial how to make it work a little bit later.

post-1165-0-52960600-1307595017_thumb.jp

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That's WONDERFUL!!

It reminds me of blender 2.4 where you could press n and have the floating properties panel. I miss that SO much. This is great! More floating panels!

That's WONDERFUL!!

It reminds me of blender 2.4 where you could press n and have the floating properties panel. I miss that SO much. This is great! More floating panels!

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  • Applink Developer

Thanks guys!

Wiki is now updated. You can find it here: http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.5/Py/Scripts/Import-Export/3dcoat_applink

There is two things I would like to ask.

1: Could someone read the wiki and fix all the text errors. I remember that Digital777 did a great job last time. Thanks for that.

Everyone can just click the link and then log in username:haikalle password:3DCoat and make the changes. You don't need to ask permission

first. I trust you :) Also you can add text if you find that there is something missing.

2: We would really need a nice video tutorials with voice in wiki. If there is someone who could help on this that would be great. Just basic videos

nothing fancy or long. Quick and nice :)

Thanks a lot

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Hello,

I'm quite new to to 3d coat and I am having a difficult time using applink and Blender w/ a current project of mine. My current project is a dragon (tutorial from CG cookie :) ) which has a few modifiers and some light sculpting -all w/ blender. Now that I have 3d coat I want to finish my sculpting with it. I have applink set up correctly following the tutorial provided here. I can transfer a cube/sphere w/ a happy w/ no issues. Is there something I am missing? Or do i have to start from scratch?

Thank you

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  • Applink Developer

Hi Jcue!

Glad to hear that you are trying to use applink script. Could you tell where you get the problem. I don't fully understand the main problem. Does the problem occur

when you try to export/import mesh? If you have irc I'm #3d-coat irc.freenode.net channel. I spent there quite a lot of time so pop by there if you can. :)

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Hi Jcue!

Glad to hear that you are trying to use applink script. Could you tell where you get the problem. I don't fully understand the main problem. Does the problem occur

when you try to export/import mesh? If you have irc I'm #3d-coat irc.freenode.net channel. I spent there quite a lot of time so pop by there if you can. :)

Thanks for responding I really appreciate it and Sorry I don't have IRC...but I will try it in the near future :)

The problem is when i try to export my project in blender. I set up the exchange folder and the object path as noted in the tutorial then I press export. With the simple sphere/cube there are no issues 3d coat automatically recognizes them. But when I try exporting my other project it gives me an errors. Basically it says unknown location. I've saved the project as .obj and tried it that way but when i open it up in 3d coat it's very difficult to work w/ (very small and I cant sculpt w/ it).

Thanks again

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  • Applink Developer

Hmm. Everything seams to be ok. It's really odd that it works with basic sphere and cube but not complex meshes.

It's really hard to say with this info what is wrong. It could help if you can send a basic file where I can see the error

or then video capture file. You can send it to my email: haikalle@gmail.com Hope we can find solution for this problem.

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Hmm. Everything seams to be ok. It's really odd that it works with basic sphere and cube but not complex meshes.

It's really hard to say with this info what is wrong. It could help if you can send a basic file where I can see the error

or then video capture file. You can send it to my email: haikalle@gmail.com Hope we can find solution for this problem.

Nice..thank you. I'll figure out a way to get that info to you today.

Thanks again.

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  • Applink Developer

Thanks for sending those pictures. The cause of the error is because you are using relative path for object path (like //..\..\temp)

You need to use absolute path for it. Like c:\temp there is option in blender setting to use only absolute paths. Hope this fixes the

error. I'm going to look this in the future. support for relative path is needed too.

EDIT:Now I found the real reason for the error window. It happens because you try to export in sculpt mode. The script works

only in object room for now. There is maybe is way to fix it. I will check this soon.

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  • 2 months later...
  • Advanced Member

@haikalle

What about this?

1. export the low def base cage

2. export the hi def mesh

3. multiresolution modifier

4. shrinkwrap modifier

So, a multi res mesh with UVs and textures.

Is this possible for an applink?

Unfortunately, blender doesn't have a tool for reconstructing lower subdivisions (like zbrush)

Shrinkwrap may cause some artifacts, easy to fix them in most cases

blender does have a good surface sculpting mode now. With 4-8 Gb RAM, up to 10-20 millions faces.

Exactly what is missing from 3dcoat.

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  • Applink Developer

@haikalle

What about this?

1. export the low def base cage

2. export the hi def mesh

3. multiresolution modifier

4. shrinkwrap modifier

So, a multi res mesh with UVs and textures.

Is this possible for an applink?

I'm not quite sure what you mean with this. Basicly applink only re-load your mesh data. It leaves modifiers untouched.

There is a option that "Remove modifiers" when you import your mesh from 3d-coat to blender. Make sure it's turned off.

It seams to be turned on as a default. needs to change this

Unfortunately, blender doesn't have a tool for reconstructing lower subdivisions (like zbrush)

Do you mean 'Reshape' tool in multiresolution modifier. That will update mesh in specific mesh level.

I need to study API a little bit but I think there is a way how we can make this area much better in applink.

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Exactly haikalle. The other way of exporting a multi res model in blender is the real displacement modifier of course. Waiting for Andrew to find a way to export crisper disp maps though.

But it works as it is now, just a little smoother results.

The problem is that we have a base mesh (subdivide it 2-4 times) displace it. Then we need a second displacement map from this point of subdivision, to use it as bump. Great results this way only.

You probably noticed that I didn't commend the use of normal maps. Cycles, I have in mind, that's why.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Applink Developer

Hi all! some quick news how the script is improved lately.

-Cleaning the code. I think that you can never do this too much and there is still a lot of work to do :)

-Undo works!

-Multires info is stored. Meaning that when you update your mesh and your sculpting data is not lost anymore...

-There is also work done that you could export and import specific multires level between blender and 3d-coat...Not finished yet.

Latest version can be found in the latest graphicall build. This is in beta stage for now. Goal is to have stable version for 2.6

Have a great day :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

In the Mac version of this Applink, after properly setting up the Exchange folder and having both applications open, (the Exchange folder is the already existing one in the 3D-Coat folder found in my user directory) - I can successfully export a model from Blender, see it automatically in 3D-Coat - add textures - "Export to Blender" - and successfully import the model back into Blender.

All textures are present, except for the "Color" texture. It is absent.

Can you instruct me on which steps to take to fix this?

Greg Smith

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  • Applink Developer

Thanks ifxs. Glad to hear.

Hi PSmith. One thing to check. Do you have already a texture slot that has assigned into color. If does. Then the script dosen't bring

color texture. That's how the script works right now. This might be the reason because other textures are imported ok.

I don't know any other reason for this behaviour. If this didn't solved the problem then it's better to open blender in terminal and

see if there is any errors. Hope wen can find a solution ASAP.

EDIT: More I think this "only one color texture" issue, it feels unwanted limitation. I will find a way to change this.

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What method do you use to detect where the 3D-Coat executable is? I am on Linux and after export 3D-Coat simply doesn't start. Is there a way to tell the applink where I've got 3D-Coat installed?

Speaking of which, what is the correct or recommended way to install 3D-Coat on Linux? After all it's just an archive.

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  • Applink Developer

What method do you use to detect where the 3D-Coat executable is? I am on Linux and after export 3D-Coat simply doesn't start. Is there a way to tell the applink where I've got 3D-Coat installed?

Speaking of which, what is the correct or recommended way to install 3D-Coat on Linux? After all it's just an archive.

The feature that 3d-coat would automaticly open after pressing export button is not supported. I have done couple tests but I'm waiting that 3.x support

specific modules that helps a lot to make this feature.

About installing 3d-coat I don't have a good advice. I have 3d-coat folder on desktop where I open it. I'm sure that there is

smoother ways to do this too :)

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Haikalle:

No, I have no other textures loaded - I am starting with a completely new scene and just using the default cube.

I start by exporting the cube to 3D-Coat, add some per pixel texturing - "Export to Blender" - no color texture. The other textures are there.

Greg Smith

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  • Applink Developer

Hi! And sorry for late reply. I started as a cleaner in big food factory this week. Hate the job already :)

That's really odd. Could you open blender in terminal and see if there is error when

textures are loaded.

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I've checked for errors in the console and I can't see any.

Also, when you start Blender, set up an exchange folder and delete the default cube, no import options are available (they are greyed out) for importing an object from 3D-Coat, via that Exchange folder.

How do you start in Blender without being able to import an object from 3D-Coat, right at the start? It seems the Applink was meant to work only in the direction of going from Blender with a Blender mesh - into 3D-Coat - and back again. But, when I try this, the diffuse "Color" file is not imported from 3D-Coat.

I find the whole process of file transfer between the 2 apps much simpler to do it the "manual" way.

Greg Smith

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  • Applink Developer

I've checked for errors in the console and I can't see any.

That's sad to hear. I'm sorry, I don't have mac myself. I have pc and importing textures works there. If here is other mac user could

you test if there is issues bringing textures. One test is that you download latest mac build from graphicall.org and see if that helps.

Also, when you start Blender, set up an exchange folder and delete the default cube, no import options are available (they are greyed out) for importing an object from 3D-Coat, via that Exchange folder.

If you use 3d-coat -> blender workflow you don't need those buttons. That's why they are greyed.

Also when no objects are selected it's normal that they are greyed out.

How do you start in Blender without being able to import an object from 3D-Coat, right at the start? It seems the Applink was meant to work only in the direction of going from Blender with a Blender mesh - into 3D-Coat - and back again. But, when I try this, the diffuse "Color" file is not imported from 3D-Coat.

I tested it and 3d-coat -> blender workflow works. First make sure that you have set right "exchange folder" then unselect(a shortkey) then you can see

new button in applink manual, "Bring from 3d-coat". Click that and you should see your object in blender. After this you can use export/import buttons

to update this object.

Exchange folder is important. I will update the script that it will remember exchange folder. Now it dosen't but you can set the folder

and press Ctrl + u that will save the settings in blender.

I find the whole process of file transfer between the 2 apps much simpler to do it the "manual" way.

I agreee. It's sometimes faster do it manually. But think about the situation where you have to update mesh and textures. If you do this manualy

first you have to delete old object then you need import updated mesh into scene, then you have to match location,rotation,scale and after that you need to load your textures. With applink this process is only one click.

It's faster :)

Also blender applink works with multiply objects. Select objects and press import and it will update all objects. With this feature there is limitation by 3d-coat.

You can't import separate objects into same 3d-coat scene, keeping them separated. 3d-coat always puts them into same .obj file when expporting. I would love to see this

changed in the future.

Hope this helps:)

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