Developing models for use in TG

[EdBardet]

What packages are used by users to develop models for inclusion in TG?

Ed

[Upon Infinity]

Aren't they all?  Personally, I use Hexagon and now 3D Coat.  You will never hear anyone mention either of those here ever again. 

[Kadri]

3D Coat
I have it  but don't use it for now really but when i find time i will look closer to it.
Lightwave mainly with 2D software like Photoshop and Sony Vegas for animations-videos.
As stated all are useful in that or this way.

[TheBadger]

The simple answer is, any that output .obj, .lwo
.FBX is coming at some point.

TG also excepts object sequences.

I use Maya, others 3Dmax. Lightwave is popular here. And Blender (free) is often mentioned too.

Lots of people also use modeling specific software like like Modo, or wings3D (free) and Speedtree and xfrog for plants

As far as TG is concerned, it does not mater so long as your trying to import the model as an .obj IT works fine, and most obj questions have an answer in the forums. Just about every obj problem you can have has been addressed by now in some way. So you can be confident that whatever issues you may run into, you'll be able to resolve it.

[alessandro]

I usually work with Modo (I still use Lightwave too) and ZBrush.

[bobbystahr]

Any program that will output an .obj and .mtl should work, and if it for some reason doesn't, there's always PoseRay, a free app that makes a flavour of .obj that Terragen likes and creates a good parts list from .obj's that don't have em or from a .lwo, ,3ds, etc., thatPoseRay reads. It only outputs .obj so is perfect for TG2_3

https://sites.google.com/site/poseray/home

[EdBardet]

I have converted files to obj and mtl but it seems like TG does not find the mtl file.
Ed

[masonspappy]

I have converted files to obj and mtl but it seems like TG does not find the mtl file.
Ed

you can open the .OBJ file with wordpad and see in the top lines where it 'thinks' the MTL file is at. For example he .OBJ file below thinks the MTL file resides in the same directory at the OBJ file.

# Blender v2.69 (sub 0) OBJ File ' '
# www.blender.org
mtllib Branch_1A1.mtl

I have seen fully qualified names that pointed to an incorrect directory, usually the result of a conversion process. In that case the header might look something like this:

# Blender v2.69 (sub 0) OBJ File ' '
# www.blender.org
mtllib c:\where|the\heck\isMyOBJfile\Branch_1A1.mtl

Just edit accordingly.

[bobbystahr]

I have converted files to obj and mtl but it seems like TG does not find the mtl file.
Ed

PoseRay sorts the .mtl file out quite well. It is possible to path the textures in it. and even change the textures entirely as well as some rudimentary U/V mapping of which I found cubic the most useful and usable.
There are tutes on it's use in this forum, search PoseRay.

[PabloMack]

My impression is that MTL files are only needed by OBJ models because the OBJ contains no texture information which is what the MTL file provides. Lightwave needs an image file for each texture that is used in the model. I think TGO has the same architecture. In order for me to use TGO files, the objects have to already be in that format. My big question is "What modeling software can create a TGO file?" None of the applications I have can do it and these include Modo, Lightwave, Wings3D and Terresculptor. Even XFrog does not seem to be able to export to a TGO file. So what are Greenworks, Walli and everyone else using to produce the TGO's that they provide?

[Dune]

They import in TG and export as tgo, is my opinion. That's the way I work at least.

[bobbystahr]

So far only Terragen can create a .tgo Pablo...the rest of us convert .obj's to .tgo by saving as .tgo in Terragen. .lwo also runs through PoseRay quite well and comes out as a TG friendly .obj which in turn is savable in Terragen as the .tgo

[Dune]

Yep, the latter is my workflow.