Blender - Revision history

BoxFigs: /* Exporting */

2024-12-31T20:00:43Z

Exporting

BoxFigs: /* Exporting */

2024-12-31T19:56:22Z

Exporting

Darkfire: Added info about HPL plugins

2024-04-21T16:27:08Z

Added info about HPL plugins

Darkfire: /* Tutorial - Blender 2.8 */ added HPL3 plugin mention

2020-11-09T19:47:10Z

Tutorial - Blender 2.8: added HPL3 plugin mention

Darkfire: Import notes and structuring

2020-08-13T17:09:34Z

Import notes and structuring

Darkfire: /* Notes on Blender 2.6 */ Changed a version to mention its number

2020-07-24T17:03:59Z

Notes on Blender 2.6: Changed a version to mention its number

Darkfire: Added mentions about FBX

2020-07-18T18:35:30Z

Added mentions about FBX

Darkfire: More restructuring, and making the language more concise

2020-07-18T18:24:34Z

More restructuring, and making the language more concise

Darkfire: Major rewrite, many sections

2020-07-17T19:33:21Z

Major rewrite, many sections

Show changes

Darkfire: formatting

2020-07-14T19:41:21Z

formatting

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 #Before exporting, make sure to remove all non-mesh components, like lights and cameras, as well as unused textures, materials and images. This is most easily done in the tree viewer, after setting it to the "Blender file" mode. Make sure to delete the duplicate and orphaned data as well if there are any issues.
 #Make sure that in export settings the '''“Geometry→Triangulate”''' option is marked.
-#If the object has an armature, or is supposed to be a StaticObject (not an Entity - those can be rotated in the Model Editor), you will need to set the export "up" axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up, HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can edit the exported .dae in a text editor to change the value of the <code>up_axis</code> tag from <code>Z_UP</code> to <code>Y_UP</code>. The forward axis should be set to -Z, otherwise the model's orientation may be incorrect.
+#If the object has an armature, or is supposed to be a StaticObject (not an Entity - those can be rotated in the Model Editor), you will need to set the export "up" axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up, HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can edit the exported .dae in a text editor to change the value of the <code>up_axis</code> tag from <code>Z_UP</code> to <code>Y_UP</code>. The forward axis should be set to -Z; otherwise, the model's orientation may be incorrect.
 #'''Open the exported file with the ModelViewer''' - it is the best of the HPL editors for quick checks and prototyping. If you've succeeded, the model will show up as textured. A .mat file will be created, to which you can add normalmaps and such. If you were editing an existing model, it should load the existing material from the original model.
 #*If the viewer crashes, you probably didn't assign materials properly or didn't triangulate the model. Another cause could be that the "one material per object, one texture per material" rule wasn't followed.

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 #Before exporting, make sure to remove all non-mesh components, like lights and cameras, as well as unused textures, materials and images. This is most easily done in the tree viewer, after setting it to the "Blender file" mode. Make sure to delete the duplicate and orphaned data as well if there are any issues.
 #Make sure that in export settings the '''“Geometry→Triangulate”''' option is marked.
-#If the object has an armature, or is supposed to be a StaticObject (not an Entity - those can be rotated in the Model Editor), you will need to set the export "up" axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up, HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can rotate the model manually to have +Y axis as up and to face the correct axis. See notes on Blender 2.5 for more help.
+#If the object has an armature, or is supposed to be a StaticObject (not an Entity - those can be rotated in the Model Editor), you will need to set the export "up" axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up, HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can edit the exported .dae in a text editor to change the value of the <code>up_axis</code> tag from <code>Z_UP</code> to <code>Y_UP</code>. The forward axis should be set to -Z, otherwise the model's orientation may be incorrect.
 #'''Open the exported file with the ModelViewer''' - it is the best of the HPL editors for quick checks and prototyping. If you've succeeded, the model will show up as textured. A .mat file will be created, to which you can add normalmaps and such. If you were editing an existing model, it should load the existing material from the original model.
 #*If the viewer crashes, you probably didn't assign materials properly or didn't triangulate the model. Another cause could be that the "one material per object, one texture per material" rule wasn't followed.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 This tutorial goes over the most crucial practices which will make a Blender export work in HPL.
 The following applies both to new models and edits of existing models. When importing a .dae model from any FG game, one has to reconstruct the materials - for some reason, they aren't imported into Blender.
@@ Line 78: / Line 76: @@
 For more information about materials, check the General section in [[Hpl3:Engine:model export|the HPL3 model export guide]]. The information there is also applicable to older HPL engine iterations.
 ==Deprecated==

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:47, 9 November 2020
Line 7:		Line 7:

	This tutorial goes over the most crucial practices which will make a Blender export work in HPL.		This tutorial goes over the most crucial practices which will make a Blender export work in HPL.
		+
		+	If you're using Blender with HPL3, you can check out [[HPL3/Blender HPL3 export plugin\|the dedicated plugin]]. It should help with workflow a lot.

	The following applies both to new models and edits of existing models. When importing a .dae model from any FG game, one has to reconstruct the materials - for some reason, they aren't imported into Blender.		The following applies both to new models and edits of existing models. When importing a .dae model from any FG game, one has to reconstruct the materials - for some reason, they aren't imported into Blender.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Following this tutorial will make any model load in-game, but models with armatures will most likely have errors and their animations will be corrupted. See the Animation section for more information.
 First, a few things to have in mind while making or editing a model:
@@ Line 18: / Line 20: @@
 #HPL allows only one material with one texture per object (submesh). No more, no less.
-The tutorial proper:
+===Importing===
 #'''Select a submesh''' and go to the '''Materials tab'''.

@@ Line 90: / Line 90: @@
 As of Blender 2.68 (probably earlier), you no longer need to triangulate the mesh in edit mode before exporting. There is now a triangulate option in the COLLADA export options.
-Blender armatures (though not for '''really'''  complex rigs) and their animations now work with the Machine for Pigs update. (This was tested with Blender 2.68, but earlier versions may work too.)
+Blender armatures (though not for '''really'''  complex rigs) and their animations now work with the 1.3 (Machine for Pigs compatibility) update. (This was tested with Blender 2.68, but earlier versions may work too.)
 ===Tutorial - Blender 2.7 and lower===

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 #*From now on, if you need to open the texture somewhere (e.g. for UV unwrapping), click on the square icon with a triangle and a dot and select the texture from the drop menu. This way you won't be cloning the texture. If you need to apply the created material/texture to another object or reapply it to the current one, make sure to use this method as well.
 #Repeat the previous steps until all submeshes have an assigned material with a texture.
 #Before exporting, make sure to remove all non-mesh components, like lights and cameras, as well as unused textures, materials and images. This is most easily done in the tree viewer, after setting it to the "Blender file" mode. Make sure to delete the duplicate and orphaned data as well if there are any issues.
 #Make sure that in export settings the '''“Geometry→Triangulate”''' option is marked.
@@ Line 34: / Line 35: @@
 #*If the model loads, but isn't textured correctly, there probably are redundant images and/or materials in the blend file.
-==Blender to COLLADA to HPL==
+==Blender to HPL==
 ===General===
 First thing to take into account when exporting is '''UV mapping the texture'''. Adding a texture to a material without UV mapping will NOT work, it will just crash the Model Viewer (or any other HPL instance).

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 The following applies both to new models and edits of existing models. When importing a .dae model from any FG game, one has to reconstruct the materials - for some reason, they aren't imported into Blender.
-#Make sure that your model has unwrapped UVs. Alternatively, you can unwrap your model after adding the texture.
+Following this tutorial will make any model load in-game, but models with armatures will most likely have errors and their animations will be corrupted. See the Animation section for more information.
-#Very important! HPL doesn't like when there are redundant textures and materials in the export. Be very careful not to add any unnecessary ones, because it will cause problems later.
-#Also keep in mind that HPL allows only one material with one texture per object (submesh). No more, no less.
+First, a few things to have in mind while making or editing a model:
-#Select your submesh and go to the materials tab.
 #Make sure that the shader is set to Principled BSDF. Other shaders don't necessarily have to cause issues, but this one has been used with success.
-#Click on the circle next to the “Base Color” setting.
+#Click on the circle next to the '''“Base Color”''' setting.
-#Pick “Image Texture” from the pop-up menu.
+#Pick '''“Image Texture”''' from the pop-up menu.
-#Click on “Open” and pick your texture file.
+#Click on '''“Open”''' and pick your texture file.
 #*From now on, if you need to open the texture somewhere (e.g. for UV unwrapping), click on the square icon with a triangle and a dot and select the texture from the drop menu. This way you won't be cloning the texture. If you need to apply the created material/texture to another object or reapply it to the current one, make sure to use this method as well.
-#Repeat those steps until all submeshes have an assigned material with a texture.
+#Repeat the previous steps until all submeshes have an assigned material with a texture.
 #Before exporting, make sure to remove all non-mesh components, like lights and cameras, as well as unused textures, materials and images. This is most easily done in the tree viewer, after setting it to the "Blender file" mode. Make sure to delete the duplicate and orphaned data as well if there are any issues.
-#Make sure that in export settings the “Geometry→Triangulate” option is marked.
+#Make sure that in export settings the '''“Geometry→Triangulate”''' option is marked.
-#You might also need to set the up axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up and HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can rotate the model manually to have +Y axis as up and to face the correct axis. You can also see notes on Blender 2.5 for another potential solution.
+#If the object has an armature, or is supposed to be a StaticObject (not an Entity - those can be rotated in the Model Editor), you will need to set the export "up" axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up, HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can rotate the model manually to have +Y axis as up and to face the correct axis. See notes on Blender 2.5 for more help.
-#Open the exported file with the ModelViewer - it is the best of the HPL editors for quick checks and prototyping. If you've succeeded, the model will show up as textured. A .mat file will be created, to which you can add normalmaps and such. If you were editing an existing model, it should load the existing material from the original model.
+#'''Open the exported file with the ModelViewer''' - it is the best of the HPL editors for quick checks and prototyping. If you've succeeded, the model will show up as textured. A .mat file will be created, to which you can add normalmaps and such. If you were editing an existing model, it should load the existing material from the original model.
 #*If the viewer crashes, you probably didn't assign materials properly or didn't triangulate the model. Another cause could be that the "one material per object, one texture per material" rule wasn't followed.
-#*If the model isn't textured correctly, you probably have redundant images and/or materials in the blend file.
+#*If the model loads, but isn't textured correctly, there probably are redundant images and/or materials in the blend file.
 ==Blender to COLLADA to HPL==
@@ Line 43: / Line 48: @@
 Rotation/location/scale animations can be exported without a problem, however there is no known way of exporting shape animations correctly into the .dae format.
-As of now, there is no known and tested way to properly export armatures from Blender in a way for HPL to read them properly. For a potential fix (untested on newer releases), check "Notes on 2.6".
+As of now, there is no known and tested way to properly export armatures from Blender in a way for HPL to read them properly.
 ===Textures===

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 ==Tutorial - Blender 2.8==
 The following applies both to new models and edits of existing models. When importing a .dae model from any FG game, one has to reconstruct the materials - for some reason, they aren't imported into Blender.
 #Make sure that your model has unwrapped UVs. Alternatively, you can unwrap your model after adding the texture.
-#Very important! HPL* doesn't like when there are orphaned textures and materials. Be very careful not to add any unnecessary ones, because it will cause problems later.
+#Very important! HPL doesn't like when there are orphaned textures and materials. Be very careful not to add any unnecessary ones, because it will cause problems later.
 #Also keep in mind that HPL allows only one material with one texture per mesh (object). No more, no less.
 #Select your mesh and go to the materials tab.
@@ Line 14: / Line 16: @@
 #Pick “Image Texture” from the pop-up menu.
 #Click on “Open” and pick your texture file.
-#From now on, if you need to open the texture somewhere (e.g. for UV unwrapping), click on the square icon with a triangle and a dot and select the texture from the drop menu. This way you won't be cloning the texture. If you need to apply the created material/texture to another object or reapply it to the current one, make sure to use this method as well.
+#*From now on, if you need to open the texture somewhere (e.g. for UV unwrapping), click on the square icon with a triangle and a dot and select the texture from the drop menu. This way you won't be cloning the texture. If you need to apply the created material/texture to another object or reapply it to the current one, make sure to use this method as well.
 #Before exporting, make sure to remove all non-mesh components, like lights and cameras, as well as unused textures, materials and images. This is most easily done in the tree viewer, after setting it to the "Blender file" mode. Make sure to delete the duplicate and orphaned data as well if there are any issues.
 #Make sure that in export settings the “Geometry→Triangulate” option is marked. You might also need to set the up axis to be the Y axis (Blender uses Z as up and HPL uses Y). In case that doesn't work, you can rotate the model manually to have +Y axis as up and to face the correct axis. You can also see notes on Blender 2.5 for another potential solution.
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
 PS. As of yet I haven't found a way of properly exporting animations from Blender. I've tried multiple COLLADA plugins and countless export settings (including a completely different format - .fbx). Following this tutorial will make the animated model load in-game, but most likely the armature will have errors and the animation will be corrupted. Perhaps applying the fix mentioned in the Blender 2.6 section could help.
-<nowiki>*</nowiki>This tutorial is applicable both for HPL1 and HPL2. HPL3 was not tested but most likely will work as well.
+===In-game materials===
 Textures(.dds, .jpg. tga and other general image formats) and material files(.mat, the engine specific file) - The material file is an XML file that contains information on what images is used in the material to create the texture and other properties. When the game loads a 3D model it searches for the name of the image used as a texture for the model(the .dds etc) and then replaces that name with the extension .mat to know what material file to use. Because of this it is important that the texture used has the same name as the material file, with the exception of the extension.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 And also, do not try to export armature/bones, because as far as I can say, that doesn't work either. If someone could do it, I also want to hear about how to do it.
-== Notes on Blender 2.5 ==
+==Notes on Blender 2.5==
 When exporting to .dae, there will be a few issues you may notice upon importing your work into the Model Editor of Amnesia. These issues include your model appearing to be missing “pieces,” being incomplete and full of holes. The COLLADA plug-in of Blender 2.5 automatically exports everything as triangles. When it comes to converting quads (i.e. faces with four sides) it does a bad job at it. In Blender 2.5, when you convert a quad into a triangle (Ctrl + T) you'll notice the quad becomes two triangles forming a shape of a quad. However, the COLLADA plug-in when it faces a quad and converts it to a triangle it'll only provide one triangle in the place of the quad (or screw up the vertices of the second triangle). To avoid this issue, you must convert all your quads to triangles in Blender before exporting to .dae format.
@@ Line 58: / Line 58: @@
 There are also issues with armatures, but full armature export support is scheduled for Blender 2.6.
-== Notes on Blender 2.6 ==
+==Notes on Blender 2.6==
 Blender 2.6 is capable of exporting armatures to where the ModelView and Model Editor doesn't crash; however, this only after one minor tweak to the exported .dae file. It would appear that the HPL engine is not capable of finding the bones of the controller (armature) when they are parented to an armature node in the .dae file. Current workaround is to either remove the armature parent node or change its type from “NODE” to “JOINT”. Do note, though, that this only prevents the ModelView from erroring out with “Bone '%s' does not exist;” there is no guarantee that your model will look and work exactly as it does in Blender.