Topic: Scaling props

[RT-Visualization]

I usually have some problems during the export of the files due to some strange scaling not done properly.

 

It is possible for you guys to supply a .dae/.fbx with some basica geometry and props ( like people/trees ) exported from Lumion ( or the 3d app which you used for creating those props ) in order to set the scale properly while exporting?

 

Like a cube 1meterx1meterx1meter, a 1.80cm man/woman, something you can check with your 3d app to do things right and scale your model properly according to the metric system

 

That will be nice, waiting for the scale tool in Lumion, but this solution could be very efficient, since it can be done at the end of the modeling process

[Morten]

Hi RT-Visualization.

Which application(s) are causing you problems?

And which units are you using? Meters or feet/inches?

[RT-Visualization]

I'm using Softimage mostly, I have some projects done with it, and usually ( since in XSI there's not input method for meshes when you create it ) the scale is not right based on metric system, but it fits properly in Softimage, thats the bad part of this great 3d software.

 

In 3ds I don't have problems at all, is just with Softimage, and since is my main 3d app I would like to do thing properly when I export the project, instead of guessing how much I need to scale the entire scene.

 

Is just because theres no scale tool in Lumion I'm asking this ( and because of Softimage ) otherwise everything works fine

[Morten]

Obviously we want Lumion to work with as many 3D applications as possible, so I've sent you a PM so that we can get to the bottom of this.

[pablogv]

Hello,

I'm having the same issue trying to export from Softimage.

Could you explain how to solve it? Thanks,

[Artur Brzegowy]

I'm checking it right now. I'll send you solution as soon as it is ready.

[Morten]

Hi Pablogv, as you probably know (and I quote from the SoftImage wiki) a SoftImage unit is 'an arbitrary, relative value that can be anything you want: a foot, 10 cm, or anything else'. I sent RT-Visualization a .DAE file (a 1x1x1m cube) and when he imported this object it occupied exactly 1 cubic SoftImage unit, i.e. 1x1x1, so you can draw your own conclusions based on this when importing feet/inches models into SoftImage for example.

Check list:

1) Did you remember to reset the scale of all the objects in your scene prior to exporting from SoftImage?

MCP (right hand tool bar) -> Transform -> Reset Transform

2) The Crosswalk Collada exporter does not seem to have a unit parameter, so I'm guessing you're using the Crosswalk FBX exporter in SoftImage 2011? If so, have you already tried adjusting the units (meters, feet etc) in the export dialogue window?

[RT-Visualization]

Hello there,

 

My main problem between Softimage and 3ds was that I usually export the project from 3ds to Softimage, and most of the time in Softimage the scale is not right, even if I tweaked a lot with the import options settings...

So far ( just about Softimage and export to Lumion ) as Morten says, Softimage do not use metric system, by that I mean that you can't setup millimeters or meters when you create a scene, but there are some trick in order to do things properly, even if you can't input numeric values when you create geometry...

Right now if you create a cube ( Primitive>polygons mesh>cube ) and set the lenght to 10, if you export that cube into Lumion using .dae exporter that cube is 1mx1mx1m, you can double check this by exporting a 1mx1mx1mx cube that you create in 3ds and use Opencollada exporter and import into Lumion and see that the two cubes match.

Said that, when you work directly in Softimage and you want to export in a proper scale into Lumion, you have to remember that the value of 10 means 1 meter in Lumion.

You can help yourself by using visual cues on each window ( except the perspective ), to do that you Shift+S in the window>Visual cues>enable Rulers, so you'll have reference of what you're creating...thats it, is not very comfortable, but at least you'll have a proper scale when you export...

Another method ( quite comfortable actually ) is to assume that a cube with lenght 1 in Softimage is 1 meter, so you'll build everything and when you're done you simply scale all the meshes in the scene by 10, and you'll have the right scale into Lumion...but be sure to Freeze all the transforms before export, otherwise the Collada exporter will remember that the object is scaled, so keep that in mind...

About 3ds to Softimage to Lumion I'm still experimenting, because OpenCollada exported seems to cause lots of problems, so I'm doing some experiments using .FBX...tomorrow probably I'll tell you about that if you're interested

[Morten]

RT-Visualization said:

Right now if you create a cube ( Primitive>polygons mesh>cube ) and set the lenght to 10, if you export that cube into Lumion using .dae exporter that cube is 1mx1mx1m, you can double check this by exporting a 1mx1mx1mx cube that you create in 3ds and use Opencollada exporter and import into Lumion and see that the two cubes match.

Said that, when you work directly in Softimage and you want to export in a proper scale into Lumion, you have to remember that the value of 10 means 1 meter in Lumion.

 

Thanks for your input, Nicolas. My post above was partly based on what you wrote in one of your earlier emails: If you "create a cube of length 1 in Softimage it will be 1 meter if exported to Lumion using Collada/FBX."

So for the sake of clarity, can you confirm whether your latest findings are 100% correct, i.e. that 1 SoftImage unit is in fact equal to 10cm in Lumion (assuming you don't change the scale when exporting)…? And does this apply to both Collada and FBX exports (again assuming you don't change the scale)?

[RT-Visualization]

Yeah, I remember that, but probably there are some differences between .dae and .fbx export, since .fbx allows you to export by choosing the scale ( mt, cm, inches... ) so probably the option is already set to scale everything by then and I didn't notice that...

Another thing, I notice that when you import from 3ds to Softimage and export to Lumion the scale is right, but the main problem is that the scale in Softimage is 1/2.54, so even if I set the scale in 3ds to meters when importing to Softimage is still in Inches, and this is a big problem since the only "guide" to create meshes with proper dimensions is using the Rulers...AAaahahhh, Headache

 

I don't know, probably this weekend I'll do a quick videotutorial about dealing with Softimage and Lumion and 3ds to Softimage to Lumion in order to work properly

Thing is if you start to work with Softimage and you export to Lumion everything is fine ( meshes and textures ), but if you import from another 3d app there are some problems due to scale...and because of that Autodesk create Crosswalk...but seems that doesn't work very good....anyway, I see if I can do the videotutorial, in order to clear once for all the scaling problem in Softimage

[Morten]

Ouch, this sounds like a whole new level of pain, Nicolas

It's not particularly confidence-inspiring that imported objects seem to "remember" their original scales when exporting them from SoftImage, even after you reset their transformations. Feel free to write to Artur *at* quest3d.com if you have anything that needs to be tested/parsed as there may be clues to be found in the FBX/DAE files you export.

[RT-Visualization]

Morten said:

Ouch, this sounds like a whole new level of pain, Nicolas

It's not particularly confidence-inspiring that imported objects seem to "remember" their original scales when exporting them from SoftImage, even after you reset their transformations. Feel free to write to Artur *at* quest3d.com if you have anything that needs to be tested/parsed as there may be clues to be found in the FBX/DAE files you export.

Well, the main problem using OpenCollada in 3ds is that, if I use Reset XForm, it crash, even with small scenes...but probably I'm the only one having this problem, I don't know...it works with Archmodels tough, since the models are very small, but still the pain is with big scenes...

So I'll probably go on exporting from 3ds in FBX since Collada standard exporter cause Softimage to crash when import, but again, I use to do renders for customers who just use 3ds, so yeah, this could be a very big problem if I have to modify/add something in the scene, since 3ds has lots pf problems managing huge scenes, while in Softimage I can work with scene with 5-8 milions polygons without any problem at all...

Right now I'm just testing a lot Lumion to see what is capable of and check how it will react with very huge scenes with the rig that I have now ( i7 920, 6GB Ram, HD4870x2 ), so I'll check soon if FBX could be the solution to the scaling problem...I hope so

Well, as I said if I'll find a good solution I'll probably post a video, otherwise dear Softimage users, just scale the whole scene like 10 times to get the proper scale within Lumion ( Doh! )

[Artur Brzegowy]

I tested Autodesk Softimage 2011. I used Croswalk -> ExportFBX.

And then 1 softimage unit =  1 cm in Lumion.

[RT-Visualization]

I tried too, this is the result:





 

Right: Woman medium height ( 1.65-1.70 I suppose )

Center-right: 1x1x1m cube from 3d studio max, exported with OpenCollada

Center-Left: Cube lenght 10 created in Softimage, exported using FBX without modify any settings ( default scale is automatic, and if you see it says decimeters, but even if you change the value it doesn't work ), so 1 unit in XSI is 10cm in Lumion

Left: Cube lenght 1 created in Softimage, exported using FBX without modify any settings

[Morten]

Hmm, which version of SoftImage / Crosswalk are you using, Nicolàs?