Xfrog plant displayed really bad in TG2

Started by Kappa, January 06, 2009, 09:50:48 PM

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Kappa

(My english is bad. I'm sorry.)

I have a Xfrog plant exported as a OBJ file, but when I tried to use it as a population, the object displays really bad, I'm new to Terragen 2 and I don't know which could be the problem, because I tried with simple PlantStudio OBJs, and they displays correctly, but are too basic plants.

It should look like that:


But it looks:


Any help is useful. Thanks
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

Seth

Wrong title then, it's not the xfrog plants that look bad ;)
check your render quality settings in the pop objetc tab and set it to very high quality; then take a look, it should be much much better ^^

Kappa

#2
Quote from: seth93 on January 06, 2009, 09:54:31 PM
Wrong title then, it's not the xfrog plants that look bad ;)
check your render quality settings in the pop objetc tab and set it to very high quality; then take a look, it should be much much better ^^

Title changed :P

With better quality rendering the problem remains. :'(

I was thinking that could be a problem between the 3D object parts and the textures.
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

old_blaggard

The textures are having problems. The alpha channels do not line up properly. You'll need to fix this in an external text editor.
http://www.terragen.org - A great Terragen resource with models, contests, galleries, and forums.

buzzzzz1

It's sometimes it's a big help if you run objs through PoserRay to get them ready for TG2. Here's the instructions I saved that Harvey Birdman was so very kind to share with us. Hope he doesn't mind my posting back here to help someone.  Thanks Dave!  Anyway here's the process he used.

1) Preparing obj's in PoseRay for use in TG2 From Harvey Birdman (Dave)

2) Open the png textures in an image editor which does not show any blocky artifacts around the leaf edges. (If you see them you'll know what I mean; if you don't, don't worry about it.) Create separate 24-bit .bmp or .jpg images for the leaf color and alpha maps. If the bark .png image is 24 bit (I think a couple were 32 bit) it can probably be used as is, otherwise convert it to a 24-bit .bmp or .jpg image. Place these textures in the same directory as the original obj.

3) Load the original obj into PoseRay. Examine the 'Material's and 'Groups' lists. I like to have at least a 1:1 relationship between groups and materials. If there isn't, select the 'Materials' tab and click the 'Rearrange' button. Select 'Groups->Materials'. Click 'OK' when asked if you're sure. (Some models have less than a 1:1 ratio, some have more. The Silver Maple, in particular, has separate material groups set up for different groups of branches.)

4)Select Materials/UV. Set remap method to Cylindrical, Z axis = 1, X and Y = 0. Check 'Weld UV Coordinates'. Select the trunk group and click 'Update'. Repeat for level 1, 2 and 3 branches, as applicable (Some groups may already have valid coordinates. Alternatively, you could skip texture coordinates on the smaller branch groups (the highest numbered groups), and assign a diffuse color to the material. This will result in a smaller final .obj.) The leaves should already have UV coordinates - don't disturb these.

5) Select the 'Basic texture properties' tab. For the 'leaf' material, select the color and alpha maps you created at the beginning as the pigment and transparency maps. Uncheck the 'metallic' checkbox. For the trunk and branch groups, select the bark texture as the pigment and bump maps, and set the bump size to .01. Uncheck the 'metallic' checkbox. (You may also want to assign diffuse colors to the leaves and bark groups. This can optionally be done later, in TG2.) After modifying all the materials, click 'Update'.

6) Select 'Groups'. Click 'Options' and make sure 'Reset camera...' is checked.  If the object has Z as the up axis (it probably is), check the 'Flip Y-Z Axis' button. Check 'Weld vertices', then uncheck 'Calculate Normals'. Click 'Update'.

7) Select the 'Obj Output' tab. Make sure 'Save Normals' and 'Save texture coordinates' checkboxes are checked, but not the other two. Enter the desired name into the 'Modified obj file' textbox, then click 'Save'. Make sure the 'Include file paths...' and 'Copy all maps...' are unchecked. (The textures should already be in the same directory, right?) Click 'OK'. (Make sure the name you give the new obj doesn't have any spaces in it. TG2 may not like spaces in the names.)

8 ) Import the obj into TG2, selecting 'NO' when asked if the object is from XFrog. you will have to re-specify the alpha texture for the leaves and the bump (now displacement) texture for the bark. Render the tree beside a 1-meter radius sphere. (Set the sphere location so it's sitting on the ground beside the tree.) Note any scaling discrepancy. At this point you have two options. You can either re-scale the tree every time you use it, or you can go back to PoseRay, scale it there and re-export it. To re-scale it once, open the new modified obj in PoseRay. Select the 'Groups' tab. MAKE SURE NO CHECKBOXES ARE CHECKED, AND THAT 'NO AXIS FLIP' IS SELECTED. Enter the desired scaling factors in the appropriate textboxes and click 'Update'. Re-export the obj. Import it into TG2 again (again re-specifying the alpha and displacement textures), and this time set the multishader and component shader names to something more appropriate than the defaults. Export the obj into a tgo and you should be all set.
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Kappa

It seems to be a problem with the transparencies and textures (TIF images)

In Xfrog with textures <-> In Xfrog without textures.


Terragen 2 shows a kind of fusion between the images above.

I'm a novice with these programs, I don't know anything about editing these objects. I thinked that adding a Xfrog plant object in TG2 would be not so difficult. :-[ :-[
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

Kappa

#6
Quote from: buzzzzz1 on January 06, 2009, 11:31:20 PM
It's sometimes it's a big help if you run objs through PoserRay to get them ready for TG2. Here's the instructions I saved that Harvey Birdman was so very kind to share with us. Hope he doesn't mind my posting back here to help someone.  Thanks Dave!  Anyway here's the process he used.

...

Your tutorial looks great, but I'm not qualified to apply it for now.

Well, thanks everyone but It seems that i should be an advanced user before trying to use these class of tools. :o

Anyone knows a site where I can get a simpler sunflower OBJ? (I love sunflowers :P)
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

buzzzzz1

Quote from: Kappa on January 06, 2009, 11:49:55 PM
Quote from: buzzzzz1 on January 06, 2009, 11:31:20 PM
It's sometimes it's a big help if you run objs through PoserRay to get them ready for TG2. Here's the instructions I saved that Harvey Birdman was so very kind to share with us. Hope he doesn't mind my posting back here to help someone.  Thanks Dave!  Anyway here's the process he used.

...

Your tutorial looks great, but I'm not qualified to apply it for now.

Well, thanks everyone but It seems that i should be an advanced user before trying to use these class of tools. :o

Anyone knows a site where I can get a simpler sunflower OBJ? (I love sunflowers :P)

Here's a note from XFROG here on Dec.23, 08 so if we are lucky we will soon be able to buy plants in tgo format.

Quote: we seem to be painted as the bully on the corner so i thought i should speak or continue to be trodden underfoot.  lightning modded our existing trees and sold the results.  that is not really Kosher meat.
You can build whatever you want with Xfrog and sell it, but not by starting with our labor-filled products or parts thereof.  To get more complex, he obtained all of our libraries from a warez site.  to get more complex, i could go a lot further about legal questions, but instead of raising a large hammer, i thought it might be interesting to discuss if it might be possible to work together. because we do make some efforts to fine tune our models into each target software, but its a lot of effort to do that well. just to tune each model into Vray for max, for example, means 2000+ models each individually tuned.  as well to further mod with poly tools of various software packages, we do need people who have some talent.   but as for poaching him, or slamming them because they are better quality - sorry, thats not it.  lightning, with training, could get close to our modelers but he is not close to being there yet - we are discussing training him.  as for XfrogPlants being overpriced DVDs - they are $ 2.50 a tree on DVD.  as for being an unfair Goliath - our modelers worked hard to build our content and occasionally we have to step up to the plate to protect their work. it is not exciting for anyone.  and occasionally our modelers want to buy plane tickets and visit the person in question....  we have been in 3 lawsuits and we won all 3, and i can tell you first hand, its a very big pain in the asp to defend digital copyrights but we are committed to doing it.

the news from us - please look very shortly for all our models in TG2 format as a set of lowcost DVDs.  it has been slow coming but it will be out in January.

We have been very supportive of Terragen, and close friends with Matt, and we want to see everyone able to easily use our models inside Terragen.   

stewart mcsherry
ceo | xfrog inc.
503 boccaccio ave
venice ca 90291
310 933 5949
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Intel Core2 Duo E8400 3.00 GHz Wolfdale
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Mohawk20

Quote from: Kappa on January 06, 2009, 11:49:55 PM

Your tutorial looks great, but I'm not qualified to apply it for now.

Well, thanks everyone but It seems that i should be an advanced user before trying to use these class of tools. :o

Anyone knows a site where I can get a simpler sunflower OBJ? (I love sunflowers :P)

I'd be happy to try and fix the textures for you, but I'd have to have the actual object, and that could be tricky, license wise...
Howgh!

Kappa

Quote from: Mohawk20 on January 07, 2009, 02:30:30 PM
Quote from: Kappa on January 06, 2009, 11:49:55 PM

Your tutorial looks great, but I'm not qualified to apply it for now.

Well, thanks everyone but It seems that i should be an advanced user before trying to use these class of tools. :o

Anyone knows a site where I can get a simpler sunflower OBJ? (I love sunflowers :P)

I'd be happy to try and fix the textures for you, but I'd have to have the actual object, and that could be tricky, license wise...

Would be illegal if I upload my OBJ file and textures? :o
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

rcallicotte

Yeah, it's either illegal or heading down a slippery slope.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

Mohawk20

OK, if you trust me, you could mail the model to me (but it's probably too big for that), and then hope I delete it afterwards...
Howgh!

Kappa

Thanks to all!!!, especially to Mohawk20. ;)
Kappa Kappa Kappa :P

Mohawk20

Fixed, just converted the tiff images to png with alpha channel. I'll be deleting the model shortly.

If anyone ever sees me using this object, you can report me if I can't prove I've bought the model in the mean time.
But I'm sure that shouldn't be necessary....  ;)

Good luck with the model!
Howgh!

rcallicotte

LOL

I'm sending a message to the software police, just in case.   ;D

Quote from: Mohawk20 on January 10, 2009, 07:13:25 AM
If anyone ever sees me using this object, you can report me...
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?