Invisible OBJs...


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Post Invisible OBJs...

#1  Nik 11 Feb 2022 17:13

I collect fun models from a variety of sources. Some are 'Poser-friendly' formats, some must be variously ported, wrangled, re-textured...

I'm used to 'rigged' FBX figures etc giving me a world of woes. Though there are honourable exceptions, FBX may import as 'many' sub-rigs, often intractable. They may 'explode'. They may even be 'invisible', have a shadow but no 'body'.

I never expected to meet 'invisible' OBJs. Hey, they're a 'classic' format: What could possibly go wrong ??

I'd pulled in a very nice DA freebie, a port from decades-old PSP game.

https://www.deviantart.com/quake332...ertop-906486860

Quake332 had used Ninjaripper to convert 'Weathertop' scene to OBJ+MTL, latter correctly calling PNG textures. I could see I'd have to extract several transparency masks from their alpha channels. Not a problem. Free Irfan View is your friend....

($$) 3DOC correctly loaded and previewed mesh and textures, though could not grok the alpha channels. I could see where such were pasted onto 'flats'. Classic PropViewer32 correctly loaded and previewed mesh, un-textured, but with transparency masked by those alpha channels. So far, so good.

I imported model to my PoserPro_11.3 at 'ground zero', 100% original scale. Couldn't find it. Scaled all the way up to 100k%, down to 0.001%. Still couldn't find it.

Deleted, re-imported at 'ground zero', 100% figure scale. Couldn't find it.

After scratching my head, I tried to open model in Windows' Paint 3D. Bloop !! "Something went wrong."

Windows' 3D Viewer was okay, as were Noesis and Open3D Viewer...

Curious, I opened the OBJ in 'WordPad'. It was an unusual format, ~300 mini-OBJs concatenated. I've seen such in free RE 'Recreated' scene mega-ports by DE's prolific Richard Mandel, but his work...

So, I opened the model in ($$) 3DOC, re-saved it.

Now, it imported correctly to Poser, either as %original, or %figure.

Downside was all those mini-OBJs each had their own material call. Although 'Diffuse' loaded, Poser did not recognise the Alpha channel. Fortunately, there were only a dozen or two skeletal trees, scrubby bushes and such, and it was easy to hand-apply their transparency maps. Thankfully, most were near start of material list, as Poser's UI does not work well beyond ~40. I nailed the last few by clicking their flagrant 'flats' in Material Room preview.

 Image

Along the way, I saw how to paste transparency calls into MTL. For each alpha mapped texture call, eg

map_Kd 000002248A4649B8.png

I used Notepad to add...

d 0

map_d 000002248A4649B8Alpha.jpg

Please may we have much longer fields for 'image source' entry ??

A couple of days later, I had exactly the same 'No-See-Um' issues with another nice model, a Quake332 'Ninjaripper' port of dark, brooding forest...

https://www.deviantart.com/quake332...orest-904875803

Same solutions, albeit for only ~65 material calls, and looks good...
 Image

I added a tiled forest pic as background image...
- -

I've no idea why Poser and Paint 3D 'fell over', as my initial suspicion that those ~315 sub-objects were to blame was falsified by the forest's ~65...
 



 
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Post Re: Invisible OBJs...

#2  rico 13 Feb 2022 12:23

quote Nik - "Curious, I opened the OBJ in 'WordPad'. It was an unusual format, ~300 mini-OBJs concatenated. I've seen such in free RE 'Recreated' scene mega-ports by DE's prolific Richard Mandel, but his work...

So, I opened the model in ($$) 3DOC, re-saved it.

Now, it imported correctly to Poser, either as %original, or %figure."


  Nik, did 3DOC combine all 300 mini OBJs, into 1 OBJ?
 



 
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Post Re: Invisible OBJs...

#3  ahjah 13 Feb 2022 13:16

All seems like quite a mess. Nik, did you try to export/ re-save the, as you said, properly loaded .obj from free PropViewer?
 




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Post Re: Invisible OBJs...

#4  Nik 13 Feb 2022 16:08

"...did 3DOC combine all 300 mini OBJs, into 1 OBJ?"

Yes. But kept diffuse texture calls, all ~315 of them.

" ...did you try to export/ re-save the, as you said, properly loaded .obj from free PropViewer?"

No, as it loses all texture calls. For a dozen or so, no big deal. For ~315, uh...

But, you got me thinking:
Could I 'graft' PV's OBJ to my 'patched' MTL with the transparency calls ??

Yes, but...
First, make a back-up copy of PV's exported OBJ.
Using eg Wordpad (Notepad may choke) add line to start...
mtllib WTPV.mtl
Save over OBJ

Unpack my attached zip file to same location. Has my Alpha masks pulled from model's PNG Alpha channels, plus my hacked MTL

If you import PV's hacked OBJ at ~15%, you may need y-offset of ~ -20.

There's an odd 'facet' due material #315 calling white, it may be to allow you to paste an inscription. I just zoomed in Material room until I got a clear click to select it, set it invisible...Image
 



 
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Post Re: Invisible OBJs...

#5  Nik 13 Feb 2022 16:14

I've not included DA's original RAR, as I could see no guidance for re-distribution, and is linked above.
 



 
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