Wings3D and Collada

[arabellajones]

Wings3D is a free modelling program which can export 3D models in Collada format, and I have been using it for a long time. I doubt it will ever support rigged mesh, but I have had decent results for simple objects. Trouble is, while it can do smoothing, it can't export that smoothing in the Collada format, and that gives ugly results.

I did find a work-around. Export in Wavefront .obj format. import to Blender, and export the Collada file from Blender.

I have used Wings3D for years, since before I ever logged on to Second Life. Blender is, for me, seriously intimidating. This works, but I don't like it.

Anyway, I described the problem on the Wings3D website, got a couple of brief replies, and it should be getting fixed.

The current Development version does appear to have the fix. Export in Collada format from Wings3D, and it imports to SL with the smoothing. As a development version, I'd recommend caution, there's no need for anyone to switch from other software that works, but the option is now there.

 

What's the point of smoothing? Instead of needing a huge number of facets to get a smoothly curved surface, you can make a cube look like a sphere. OK, that is a little extreme, but that can make a huge difference to the render-weight/complexity numbers.

Wings3D and Blender are both free, and both import a variety of formats. Wings3D doesn't try to do everything, and, frankly that suits me. I can see how Blender has advantages, but there are alternatives.

 

 

[arabellajones]

Adding a little bit more here...

There are a few things that come from the interactions between the .dae Collada format and Second Life. Way bacl in the old days there were tricks to make small prims for jewelry. and there are still pifalls around the scale aspects.

Wings3D is working, but for smaller items, around the size of an AV head, there are some scaling issues.

The fix seems to be pretty easy., and it ends up giving a lower render-weight/complexity.

Step one: Wings3D has options to make several components, even with different texture, into one mesh part. This is an option in the Object right-click menu, Combine and Separate. One practical advantage is that the components will scale together. and maintain their relative positions. Using this will reduce the complexity a little, partly because, some effects are similar to multiple prims.

You can still hit a minimum size, but this is where the detail of the export process comes in. Instead of exporting in meters, export in centimeters, and don't bother with any rescaling. A .dae file is a form of XML, and when you look with a text editor, you will see this defined bout a dozen lines in. I am guessing a bit, but it looks as though the format uses a limited number of decimal -places , and any scaling you do on import can suffer from bad rounding errors.

What I got was a ring-shape, a torus, being elongated into a tube. Using the centimeters fixed that, no other effort needed, and also took away some of the size-limits I was hitting in the object aditor.

 

If all you want is a static mesh, not rigged, Wings3D is looking to be a viable alternative to Blender. I am still feeling my way on some aspects. Using smoothing well is a bit of a trade off with the polygon count. It's still not quite at the formal release stage. but I have been able to replicate a few old prim-based attachments, and halve their render.weight/complexity.

And some mesh items seem to have been made by people who think the only way to smooth a component is to use a huge number of polygons.

There have been several times when my usual furry avatar has been accused of being too complicated, and lagging a sim. Sometimes the accusation has been made by somebody showing around three times the complexity. 

[shaniqua Sahara]

when you go to upload your mesh you can check "generate normals" and your mesh will have the smoothing you discribe.

[arabellajones]

Which viewer are you talking about? I use Linux, and if that feature depends on Havok code, I'm not going to be getting it any more.

 

(I could rant at length about the Linux version of the LL Viewer. Apparently, it is still a beta, with no support, and no Linux viewer has the full Havok support needed for the mesh import features)

 

Both Wings3D and Blender let you decide whether specific edges are hard or soft. Now the Wings3D bug on .dae export seems to be fixed, I don't have to worry about how the viewer can do this. I have control. I like being in control, rather than relying on some automatic magic