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How do you get edges in your models?

by Scott Peal · in Artist Corner · 10/04/2009 (12:54 pm) · 9 replies

Boy I feel like a total noob asking this question. But I took a simple cube and beveled all the edges, then place a color on it (no texture) then exported to collada into a new T3D scene. I can see the cube in the T3D scene but there is no distinction of the edges of the cube. So the effect is a 2D object.

I tried moving and adding lights to T3D with no luck. So it would seem I am missing some major technique here. Would anyone be so kind as to share your wisdom? BTW, I am using Softimage 7.5

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Torque Owner TheGasMan
G.A.S. [+others]
#1
10/04/2009 (2:45 pm)
The thing with Torque is that if you don't set smooth groups, then it assumes that the entire model uses the same smooth group.

A bit silly really, but I assume it saved time in 1999.

Associate Steve Acaster
[YorkshireRifles]
#2
10/04/2009 (2:53 pm)
@eb
Exporting from Blender works fine, no smooth groups required. Works with DTS and COLLADA.

So I'd reckon it's more a exporter/modeling app issue than a Torque one.

Torque 3D Owner Scott Peal
#3
10/04/2009 (3:41 pm)
I am using Softimage and exporting to collada. I tried this again using UV mapped textures. If the texture is a wood pattern, then the cube looks OK if emissive flag is on. But if the texture is a solid color, say a cream color, the cube lacks any definition.

I noticed that if I turn of the emissive flag, the cube goes dark. Then if I place a spot light facing directly on it, the color never shows. The cube stays dark.

Any thoughts?


Associate Steve Acaster
[YorkshireRifles]
#4
10/04/2009 (3:57 pm)
I reckon that you mean that there are no "sides" appearing "within" the model. Check your normals aren't inverted so that you're not looking "into" the model.

Torque Owner TheGasMan
G.A.S. [+others]
#5
10/04/2009 (6:27 pm)
[Blender doesn't auto assign smooth groups on object creation. ..or has this changed ? ..I haven't used it quite some time.]

I was shorthanding the matter at hand. I should have posted properly.

Associate Steve Acaster
[YorkshireRifles]
#6
10/04/2009 (7:23 pm)
Blender can use vertex groups for smoothing ... but they apparently aren't neccessary, no type of grouping is, just choose which verts in a mesh you want soft/hard and pick and mix as you like, it all comes out nicely in the exporter (which is handy).

@Scott
If you're show your normals are okay (and not 2 sided polys either), post a pic of the issue.

Torque 3D Owner Scott Peal
#7
10/05/2009 (9:08 pm)
I think I figured this out. A new project uses a scattered sky. When I deleted the scattered sky and put in a sun, all looks as expected. The default scattered sky settings is putting some wierd mojo in the lighting.


Torque Owner TheGasMan
G.A.S. [+others]
#8
10/05/2009 (10:17 pm)
Scott, can you upload a zip of a screenshot of this and the DAE model ?

Torque 3D Owner Scott Peal
#9
10/06/2009 (11:34 am)
OK, after further playing around I think I found the real issue. It was not the skatter sky. Instead I found out you have to select the "Export SXI Normals" option in the collada exporter in Softimage. (Steve, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.)

Once I did this, the models appeared with edges and the textures were lite properly.