3d text in Terragen.

elipsis1 · September 18, 2012, 01:30:48 PM

Hello all

I am wanting to include a 3d text logo in my terragen scenes.

I am currently trying DAZ 3d Hexagon to export a .OBJ file.

I can import it, but not all letters are shaded 100% on the faces?

I'm just wondering what program and format actually works easily with terragen?

Thanks for your help!

elipsis1 · September 18, 2012, 01:43:07 PM

Also, I want to add that when I import that same .obj in DAZ's Bryce, the faces are all there.

elipsis1 · September 18, 2012, 02:00:28 PM

Would most people use Poseray?

( found this thread: http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=12038.msg121765#msg121765 )

Kadri · September 18, 2012, 02:18:21 PM

Sometimes only opening and exporting from Poseray as an obj is enough.

TheBadger said in another recently thread that Hexagon can get problematic with objects.
So be careful .

jaf · September 18, 2012, 02:26:08 PM

I would try Poseray and check out your 3D text in it's preview. From my experience, if it looks good in Poseray, it will in TG2 too. However, don't expect the colors to match. TG2 is primarily for outdoor renders, so there are many things (settings) you may have to play with to get your text color where you want it.

When I load a model into Poseray for exporting to TG2, there are several things I do each time. They are on the "Groups" tab: Recalculate normals, Weld vertices, Remove orphan vertices, Remove orphan normals, and Remove non-visible groups. I click each one in succession and I rarely have any surprises in TG2 with the model geometry. However, that's using Lightwave, not Hexigon, so you should give it a test.

elipsis1 · September 18, 2012, 02:36:21 PM

Quote from: jaf on September 18, 2012, 02:26:08 PM
I would try Poseray and check out your 3D text in it's preview. From my experience, if it looks good in Poseray, it will in TG2 too. However, don't expect the colors to match. TG2 is primarily for outdoor renders, so there are many things (settings) you may have to play with to get your text color where you want it.

When I load a model into Poseray for exporting to TG2, there are several things I do each time. They are on the "Groups" tab: Recalculate normals, Weld vertices, Remove orphan vertices, Remove orphan normals, and Remove non-visible groups. I click each one in succession and I rarely have any surprises in TG2 with the model geometry. However, that's using Lightwave, not Hexigon, so you should give it a test.

Thanks for these details!

Upon Infinity · September 18, 2012, 03:21:10 PM

Easy. I just took a crash course on Hexagon and went through the same thing about a zillion times. The reason the faces are transparent is because they are made up of what are called ngons (more than 4 points to a face). To get rid of them select the object in Hexagon, go to Selection at the top of the screen, go to select over 4 point faces, go to utilities and select the 4th from last option, triangulate non-planar facets and then select the 2nd option down, triangulate ngons. This will slice up the faces into smaller pointed polygons and then will export into Terragen with no problems. Going the Blender or Poseray way will likely accomplish something similar, but this is the easy way and doesn't require so much importing/exporting.

elipsis1 · September 18, 2012, 07:14:38 PM

My mind is now ngone!

LOL

Just kidding. Thanks for answering this!

I also used blender a while back, I wonder if that will need work on the ngon's?

TheBadger · September 18, 2012, 09:15:23 PM

Hi,

All the advice you have already heard is good.

I would just add another option for you. Though fixing the issue directly in the software you used to create the .obj is good practice if possible. For that try to follow UI's instructions and see if that will work on a typeface. I say try because I ran into some issues with fonts that are really strange and hard for me to explain (in Hex2)

But the other thing to try that worked for me in most situations, is to simply import the .obj into blender, and then export a new .obj. Place the new .obj into the folder with all the textures you got when you made the original .obj out of Hexagon.

I still say that Hexagon2 is the easiest modeling program there is. Its a shame that they don't fix all the bugs. Even with the issues, and even though I have Maya and houdini, and mudbox. I still use use hex for simple models and primitive shapes.

I really wish they would fix the issues in hex.

Good to see you back elipsis1. You were posting new work almost every week when you were here. Hope to see some new stuff soon.

airflamesred · September 19, 2012, 04:08:34 AM

I don't believe this is caused by n gons. It looks more like reversed normals.

Upon Infinity · September 19, 2012, 04:49:14 AM

Quote from: airflamesred on September 19, 2012, 04:08:34 AM
I don't believe this is caused by n gons. It looks more like reversed normals.

hehehe...trust me, it's the ngons.

inkydigit · September 19, 2012, 07:56:35 AM

I created a text object in blender (using a font from my library, then extruded it) http://www.planetside.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=13094.msg129620#msg129620
the links to terragen.org in the post you mentioned are handy objects too...

jaf · September 19, 2012, 10:03:17 PM

It's easy to see what Poseray will do to "fix" your model. Run your model, Ngons or not, process it as I mentioned above, and then save it with a new name. Load it back up in a wireframe view in the modeling program you created the original with and have a look.

The nice thing about Poseray, as far as using it with Terragen, is you can build your model and not worry about Ngons. The modeler I use (Lightwave) displays Ngons just fine. But as you saw, other rendering programs, like TG2, don't.

elipsis1 · September 20, 2012, 12:47:19 AM

Quote from: UponInfinity on September 18, 2012, 03:21:10 PM
Easy. I just took a crash course on Hexagon and went through the same thing about a zillion times. The reason the faces are transparent is because they are made up of what are called ngons (more than 4 points to a face). To get rid of them select the object in Hexagon, go to Selection at the top of the screen, go to select over 4 point faces, go to utilities and select the 4th from last option, triangulate non-planar facets and then select the 2nd option down, triangulate ngons. This will slice up the faces into smaller pointed polygons and then will export into Terragen with no problems. Going the Blender or Poseray way will likely accomplish something similar, but this is the easy way and doesn't require so much importing/exporting.

I tried this. For whatever reason, it tells me there are no selections with more than 4 points, even though I see the faces highlight making the selection.

I tried the weld option, that didn't work.

Now even though it looks good in Poseray, I still get crap when importing into Terragen.

I think I'm going to give up, it shouldn't be this crazy.

I hate to move back to Bryce to make my album covers, when Terragen has such great results.

Oh well, I will keep fiddling about with it... uggh...

Thanks all for these replies.

Kadri · September 20, 2012, 12:51:22 AM

Do not give up Elipsis1!
Why not post your object here?
We could look what the problem is too!