[wimver]

in order to make texture mapping easy in studio, I join all objects that will receive the same texture in freehand, so that selecting them in studio is much easier (and my experience is also that importing in studio goes much quicker like that).
but if there are too many objects, I start getting strange artefacts, like points of objects are getting connected to other points, making triangles that should not be there. see example here (all the metal stairs parts and the frames on terrace walls have been joined):


when splitting up the joined elements in smaller groups, it finally gets resolved (still some funny elements on the stair steps):

my experience is that when importing a complete file for the first time in studio, I don't have this problem. but after some modifications have been made to some objects, and I import the joined objects again in studio, after deleting the original one, then I get these artefacts.
anyone else suffering from this?
something can be done about it?

the fact that some triangles are black is not the issue here, that I have reported in another tread a few months ago, and Juan is aware of that and promised to fix it.

[Tim Ellis]

I have found that my main factor in this problem, is that the vertex scale is too small, whereas the object scale is the correct size.

So try entering vertex mode before export and scale all verts x10 for the object, then leave vertex mode and scale the object back down /10.

I think during export, any verts that are too close to each other are welded, hence creating new triangles in some cases. Scaling the verts should stop this happening.

Forgive me if this isn't possible in Form-Z, I haven't used it before.

Hope this helps and makes sense,

Tim.

[wimver]

Hi Tim,
tnx for your input, but unfortunately there is no vertex mode in fz. My idea is that some translation error is happening when converting joined fz geometry to mxs. the translator has to figure out which points are connected with vertices, and makes some mistakes there. probably the algorithm wants to "close" geometry which it thinks is left open.
but what I don't understand is why the points that are wrongly connected are so far apart. I sometimes get triangles of several meters big (on architectural scale).


wim

[Tim Ellis]

but what I don't understand is why the points that are wrongly connected are so far apart. I sometimes get triangles of several meters big (on architectural scale).


wim

Perhaps it's down to the vertex creation order. If vertex#1 is 1m away from vertex#2 which is 2cm away from vertex#3, these would be joined and create your large trianglular faces. Creating a cube and scaling it for a wall, would create this kind of condition.

I'm just speculating though.

Can you export in any of the standard mesh formats from Fz? .obj etc? Is the error still there when you import in into Studio?

Tim.

[wimver]

Can you export in any of the standard mesh formats from Fz? .obj etc? Is the error still there when you import in into Studio?

that's a good thought. I will try that. although it might give a working solution, it is a too complicated workflow, and I doubt the maxwell applied textures will follow. but for the sake of investigation, still a worthwhile test.

tnx
wim

[Tim Ellis]

.OBJ will retain any UV mapping applied, when the object is imported into Studio, so long as FZ lets you apply UVs.

I use UV mapped mesh objects exported direct from Blender into Studio, with no problems.

Don't forget to triangulate the mesh before the .obj export, otherwise you will have lots of holes in the mesh in Studio.

Tim.

[bbuxton]

In FormZ try using the object doctor (the icon looks like a small wood screw???)
It will un-triangulate planar faces so you will need to re-triangulate the mesh making sure that you select triangulate all.

This has cleared up lots of issues for me.....

[wimver]

thanks bbuxton, but there is nothing wrong with the geometry in formz, it renders well in renderzone, and there is nothing wrong when I render it the first time in maxwell as well. only if, for example, after rendering I notice that I included an object in the wrong group, I have to go back to formz, unjoin the 2 groups and join them again, then import ONLY these 2 groups in the job in Studio, THEN I get these wrong triangles. going back again and joining into smaller groups solves the problem. I guess that generating a complete new mxs from the fz plugin also solves the problem (thus avoiding the import of a few groups), but then I have to reapply all materials and adjusting the projectors, which is a tedious job, as you probably know.

wim