Rendering issues with Obj. file

[rosoule]

I was determined to figure out the cause of the rendering issue with this associated file, but after 30 hours of reading so many forum posts and trying everything I could think of, my eyes are bleeding.
The issue: I created the file, Wooden Walkway, with TrueSpace 7.6. It was an arrayed model, if  that matters. I'm attaching the TS render, which looks perfect. Then I tried every combination of exporting Wavefront Objects from TS possible. I tried putting the file through Poseray. It looked fine. When I load to T2, straight from TS or through Poseray, it looks like the attached render (not shadow, since the angle of the sun changes nothing)
Just getting back to TS after a long hiatus and solved lots of problems with this forum, but this has stumped me. Please take a look at the attachments and see what you think.
Hope all files are loaded.

[alessandro]

Does the .obj include normals? I had similar issues too, and after some time I understood (somebody can correct me if I'm wrong), that TG doesn't recalculate normals and so must be provided in the .obj.
Just try to re-export including normals and you should be ok.

[Kadri]

Play with the normals settings in Poseray or uncheck "Use smooth normals" in the "TGO reader" node.
The later changes it immediately if you can not get anything usable from Poseray.

A sweet video about smooth shading :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMgjVJogIbc

Would be nice if we could use the smooth option per surface.

[rosoule]

Unchecking Smooth Normals did it. Should have asked sooner. I really appreciate the help in this forum. Also, since I know how to import objects properly, I will start sharing them for anyone to use. Are they submitted and to whom?

[Kadri]

You could place them in the "File Sharing" section here in the forum Rosoule .

[Kadri]

Sometimes you have to use smooth normals on.
Look at the first image here.
It is the same object that i exported as an obj file and changed in Poseray then cloned in TG3 with only the "Use smooth normals" option difference.


[attachimg=1]


But if you get closer it gets problematic.


[attachimg=2]

As you see now you can see which object does have smooth normals checked or not.

You can use the "Recalculate Normals" and the other options on the same row in Poseray under the "Groups" tab.
That was what i used to get your object work with "Use smooth normals" checked in TG3.
By using  different angles you can see very fast from the preview window in Poseray what could work better for your object.

[Dune]

Sometimes you get into trouble if all elements are in 1 group, so you have to choose the angle carefully for alle elements to be as they should. Then you may consider making new groups from the materials that are used. Then you can set a angle per element.

[Kadri]

Good that you said that Ulco.

I had problems some years ago with objects because o these kind of problems.
You may already know these things Rosoule.

Not sure about other modelers but in Lightwave you can use layers to export an object with the parts you want as a different group.
Each object part that is in a different layer will be shown as a different group in Poseray.

Maybe the software you use can do these kind of things and the proper OBJ export for TG3 without Poseray . If so much better for you...

By hiding groups in Poseray and using the settings on the groups that are visible, you can change the settings the way you want at the group level.


[attachimg=1]


Just be careful (correct me if i am wrong guys) that TG3 doesn't smooth normals in objects as much as in your modeler package.
You have to try and maybe have to subdivide your model a little more then you mostly would do.


[attachimg=2]

Only one half side of the object smoothed in Poseray.


PS: You may have white parts on your object around the polygons (there are no ones on the rendered object above).
      This is a bug that will be fixed in the next update probably.