Torque Game Blender (2D) 3D Sprite Export/Import Issues
by Asher Holley · in Artist Corner · 12/26/2007 (12:30 pm) · 4 replies
Alright, I've got TGB 1.6 on OS X and Blender 2.45 with the BlenderDTSExporter 0.95 scripts installed. I also have Torque Show Tool Pro (to debug my 3D models).
I'm trying to export my 3D objects from Blender into TGB (NOT TGE). I have "scoured" the net trying to find good tutorials and documentation. I've looked over the DTS/Blender/Exporter User Interface Overview from http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/index.php?title=DTS/Blender/Exporter_User_Interface_Overview. I've been studying the tutorials found at http://www.users.on.net/~symes/gamedev/videotuts/videotuts.html. I've studied the DTS Exporter Documentation - Nodes Listing. I understand I can support 'nodes' from Blender using Armatures. I've even briefly peered over the python scripts for the exporter, and started to try to compile the debug version (but I haven't been successful yet with XCode and Leopard, I have to match it up to the right compiler). I've been working on this for two days straight, so I'm not expecting any of these tools after using them to just magically work and I've done my homework.
But I MUST be missing something somewhere and I'm having the darnedest (sp? :-) ) time figuring out what. When I use the radar1.dts file in the third to last tutorial on the site I mentioned above ( www.users.on.net/~symes/ ) it works. The blue man and the floating health ball work from the TGB installation. When I make a cube or icosphere, make it a child of an Empty named "DetailX" (say 1 or 32 or 3), then make that a child of an Empty named "Shape" then export it, I can see the object in TST, however I can't see it in TGB. It recognizes there's a shape, but it comes up entirely blank and transparent. I've tried attaching a texture (.png) with a material, but according to the tutorials this isn't absolutely necessary. As far as I can tell the 'light' nodes are for emitting lights. When I export the blender file from the above tutorial, mine doesn't have the same smooth shading as the included .dts file in TST, and I can't see it in TGB.
The only difference I can tell so far (but probably not the only one) is that my radar starts out with a node called "Exp-Catch-Root" while the other radar .dts has a "Root" node. I found the line in the python script that assigns the name "Exp-Catch-Root" and I change it to "Root", yet, after deleting the .pyc file and restarting Blender... it seemed to do nothing. I tried creating an Armature named "Root" and making that a child of "Shape" and then a cube or icosphere a child of the Armature (as object, or as grouped vertices), and nothing yet.
Anyone have the same problem, or able to help me?
I'm trying to export my 3D objects from Blender into TGB (NOT TGE). I have "scoured" the net trying to find good tutorials and documentation. I've looked over the DTS/Blender/Exporter User Interface Overview from http://tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/index.php?title=DTS/Blender/Exporter_User_Interface_Overview. I've been studying the tutorials found at http://www.users.on.net/~symes/gamedev/videotuts/videotuts.html. I've studied the DTS Exporter Documentation - Nodes Listing. I understand I can support 'nodes' from Blender using Armatures. I've even briefly peered over the python scripts for the exporter, and started to try to compile the debug version (but I haven't been successful yet with XCode and Leopard, I have to match it up to the right compiler). I've been working on this for two days straight, so I'm not expecting any of these tools after using them to just magically work and I've done my homework.
But I MUST be missing something somewhere and I'm having the darnedest (sp? :-) ) time figuring out what. When I use the radar1.dts file in the third to last tutorial on the site I mentioned above ( www.users.on.net/~symes/ ) it works. The blue man and the floating health ball work from the TGB installation. When I make a cube or icosphere, make it a child of an Empty named "DetailX" (say 1 or 32 or 3), then make that a child of an Empty named "Shape" then export it, I can see the object in TST, however I can't see it in TGB. It recognizes there's a shape, but it comes up entirely blank and transparent. I've tried attaching a texture (.png) with a material, but according to the tutorials this isn't absolutely necessary. As far as I can tell the 'light' nodes are for emitting lights. When I export the blender file from the above tutorial, mine doesn't have the same smooth shading as the included .dts file in TST, and I can't see it in TGB.
The only difference I can tell so far (but probably not the only one) is that my radar starts out with a node called "Exp-Catch-Root" while the other radar .dts has a "Root" node. I found the line in the python script that assigns the name "Exp-Catch-Root" and I change it to "Root", yet, after deleting the .pyc file and restarting Blender... it seemed to do nothing. I tried creating an Armature named "Root" and making that a child of "Shape" and then a cube or icosphere a child of the Armature (as object, or as grouped vertices), and nothing yet.
Anyone have the same problem, or able to help me?
#3
My Plan:
I'm thinking of building a unix console script (I use OS X) that will take apart a .dts file bit by bit and display it's contents so I can compare working files and non-working files at a high level of data detail. I was going to use your script as a basis for understanding the format, and then from there see what I can learn from the TGB source (though this intimidates me a bit, but they render it somehow... and from as far as I can tell importing to TGE and TST is more forgiving).
If you could give me any pointers towards the .dts file format itself (I can't seem to find any information online) and it's structure that would be great. My e-mail is asherwolf@mac.com.
12/27/2007 (5:27 pm)
Well, thanks for the information and for paying attention to my post. I fancy myself a pretty good programmer (I was a professional programmer for about 10 months at an established company, self-taught) so... I'll attempt to get to the bottom of this, and when I find a solution, I'll post it here.My Plan:
I'm thinking of building a unix console script (I use OS X) that will take apart a .dts file bit by bit and display it's contents so I can compare working files and non-working files at a high level of data detail. I was going to use your script as a basis for understanding the format, and then from there see what I can learn from the TGB source (though this intimidates me a bit, but they render it somehow... and from as far as I can tell importing to TGE and TST is more forgiving).
If you could give me any pointers towards the .dts file format itself (I can't seem to find any information online) and it's structure that would be great. My e-mail is asherwolf@mac.com.
#4
01/31/2008 (6:29 pm)
Try downloading the demo of TGE and see if your model will show up correctly there. There are often problems that show up just going from TST to TGE. I had a similar problem once where my model would be transparent because my texture was only on the inside of the model; but my model looked fine in both Blender and TST. 
Torque Owner Asher Holley