Hi,
I am trying to use the micro export to export an obj. But it is not working for me today. I am probably just forgetting something.
I have set up the microexporter and put the far distance to 2,000. But the vheight says I am at 10,000KM. I checked the camera node setting and it says I am at 2,000 in the Y.
The only thing I am doing differently from in the past is that I have only one camera, my scene cam, which I moved into place for the export (I was not going to save any changes anyway) Do I really have to make a new cam and set that up as in T-Us instructions from a long time ago?
Other than using one cam, I don't know what else I am forgetting. I get outputs of 4kb obj. I have done this before, and it worked fine.
I am using a straight down view as in the top view, but I set it up in the camera node manually, x0,y200,z0 with a rotation of -90 degrees, all others 0. SO it looks like its right in the 3D preview.
One other thing is that in the past T-U said to use like a 90 degree angle, and I am looking straight down. But should that matter now?
Had some problems with using the ortho too, but I think its the same issue. Cant see what I have left out. Please help if you can, driving me crazy. checked instructions in the forum, I think I am doing this the right way, but not sure about the vheight vs the cam in the Y.
It should output what you see in the camera if it is the camera that is connected to the master render node where the microexporter is.
The most basic way to test it is to put the default "Farthest distance" number in the micro exporter
and make a very small low quality test and see if the camera shows the object right (you should get a low quality obj file).
If you get a low quality obj file with the desired part of the landscape your farthest distance number is wrong (too low probably).
If you don't get the obj file that you want then you have another problem.
Why are you limiting the Far Distance at all, if you're doing a top-down (i.e. 90 degree downward camera angle) render?
- Oshyan
I didn't the first time, Oshyan. I didn't think it mattered. But when I got a 4kb file with an .8 quality setting, then I changed it just to do it the same as I have before.
I micro exporter is properly connected in the right place, Kadri.
Still no right obj output?
Baaa, I got it. Stupid me.
I have several files of the same scene, one of those uses a Dem. ::) And you cant save an object made in part with a DEM.
Well, that was it I think, the other version I tried worked nice and easy.
Sorry.
I don't know if it works with a DEM and can't say for sure but i think Terragen renders out any displacement it sees on the landscape.
Anyway if it works there is no problem :)
Kadri is correct, it should not matter where the data comes from. The Micro Exporter literally just exports the polygons generated by the renderer. So if it renders ok, it should export OK (generally speaking).
- Oshyan
??? Then there is something wrong here.
QuoteThe Micro Exporter literally just exports the polygons generated by the renderer. So if it renders ok, it should export OK (generally speaking).
That is what I exspected. But after it did not I re read a bunch of stuff and thought that was a reason.
Well, I guess I got to go through this again and try to find the problem >:(
Thanks.
Is the scene made with a standard Terragen Landscape-object-planet ?
I mean you can't save imported objects (if you made a landscape from such a file) with the microexporter you have to use the object node file self export options for this.
Quote from: Kadri on January 28, 2015, 01:58:02 PM
Is the scene made with a standard Terragen Landscape-object-planet ?
I mean you can't save imported objects (if you made a landscape from such a file) with the microexporter you have to use the object node file self export options for this.
Yes, just the default planet. The only thing that is maybe unusual about it is that I have all displacements limited to one 2000x2000 meter area via simpshape.
I have to do something else now, but can get back to this after 2. I hope that I can figure this out, I absolutely need to be able to export it to be able to do what I am trying to do.
Thanks you Kadri, please keep an eye out. I will try to zero in on what I did wrong. But if I can't I will need some more help.
Just did a test and it is totally the "Farthest distance" setting on the micro exporter.
Its strange I've used this before to cull terrain exports but that was using a camera in a dmp setup, looking across a terrain similar to how it would be shot with a real camera.
When the camera is looking straight down the only value that will work is 1e+006.
And yeah the camera translate Y gives a different value to the viewport translate Y, in a top down render neither value worked in the exporter.
Hope that clears it up, your not alone, the only setting that works for me in a top down render is 1e+006.
Interesting. Lower numbers are working OK for me.
Thank you Ashly. Thanks for trying it too Kadri.
Ashly, what OS do you use? TG V.#? I guess that you use a PC? I only ask because Kadri had a different result, but you see my problem exactly it sounds. I will try the way you say this evening.
Thanks again!
Win8, TG3.2 (build 3.2.03.0) 64bit
It works for me under the parameters Ashley posted.
Only thing to understand now is why the difference between Kadri and Ashley, and why the Vheight and Y don't jive. Also a little strange to me that I on OSX have the same problem as someone on a PC, but another PC user has no issue at all.
actually, I don't care at all. Im just glad it works. :P
Good that you got it to work Michael
From past experience i am not surprised to see different values regarding an objects place in space because how Terragen works on a planet kind of object.
Matt or Oshyan might say something about this.
But i would like to try your setups if possible guys. Just curious.
If possible, strip out all your delicious data and post a file with the problematic setup here please :)
But probably it is related to those values of the camera and you are farther away from the one that counts.
I don't know how your scene is setup and if it is the same problem (Vheight?) but this is what Matt said in a post for example:
"Don't trust the Y coordinate readout in the preview when you are dealing with large areas on a curved planet.
That simply reports the Y coordinate, which is not the same as altitude.
For any altitude you choose, the Y value will change as you move away from the origin because of the planet's curvature.
At the origin, Y = altitude, but away from the origin Y will be less than the altitude."
http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,5686.msg59609.html#msg59609
Hi Kadri,
I tested again with the default terrain at the origin. Setting the Farthest distance works fine, as you reported.
The scene I used before was a DEM terrain, I had forgotten at the time, the lat long at apex of the planet was using the lat long of the DEM.
So this means the camera was on the other side of the planet at a negative Y co-ord. When I tried to use any value other than 1e+006 it wasn't able to produce any geo.
I tried setting a value in the negative (sounds daft) and that didn't work either but thought at least I can rule it out.
This is an interesting issue, but easily sorted by using the default value.
That makes sense Ashley.
Have you tried any different (negative for example) numbers for the "Nearest distance" option too ?
This is almost certainly *not* a platform issue, the differences are likely down to specific setups since none of you are working from the same scene files. If you want a proper test to suss out and possibly issues between people's different machines/OSs, whatever, then there's no way to do that other than using the exact same TGD with the exact same settings.
That being said, I think most of this has been explained through the thread by now. Y and vHeight differences have been explained before, and Matt's quote is a good summation. Whether negative values should work to restrict export on the other side of the planet, I'm not sure, the same idea occurred to me. But I'd really just ask why you even need to restrict distances if you're doing a top-down export.
Only other thing I want to say is that yes you *can* export imported geometry using the micro exporter *if raytrace objects is disabled*. But keep in mind it will just be part of one big geometry export, so your trees or whatever will be part of the same geometry dump as your terrain, and it will be hard to separate them. This is *not* a good way to get a stand-alone object into a different format or anything, but it can occasionally be useful, for example using a population object export for shadow casting or "hold out" or something in another app.
- Oshyan
Quote from: Oshyan on January 29, 2015, 10:46:04 PM
...
Only other thing I want to say is that yes you *can* export imported geometry using the micro exporter *if raytrace objects is disabled*...
Nice. Still good to have that option.