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Export from C8 for Sculptris?

mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
edited December 1969 in Carrara Discussion

I'm trying to export a Vertex Object from C8 as .obj for use in Sculptris. When I try to import into Sculptris I always get the error "Can't Import - File contains no vertices". I have tried simple cubes and spheres, tried tesselating, triangulating, different export settings but always the same error. I can export from Sculptris and open in C8 with no problems.

THis is the most recent version of Sculptris. I know I saw references to importing Carrara obj files into Sculptris in the past but I can't find anything regarding any special file settings.

I must be doing something wrong but I can't figure out what.

Comments

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,332
    edited December 1969

    I am no expert at doing this at all... but perhaps it's in the OBJ export options? I have never had trouble exporting obj files for importing into any other app - Sculptris included. Admittedly, I was following the teachings of Phil Wilkes in Infinite Skills' Advanced Carrara Techniques and it worked perfectly. He was even using Sculptris as his example.

  • mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    That's what made me want to try this . . . the Phil Wilkes tutorial. I am just selecting the object (simple sphere or cube) in the Vertex modeler or the Assembly room and exporting as obj. There aren't that many options and I've tried most in many combinations. I was wondering if it was just this version of Carrara or Sculptris that is the problem. So I tried C7 on my old computer and got the same result. I also tried taking the sphere or cube and tesselating or triangulating once and then exporting. Same result. I have opened the .obj file with atext editor and there are vertices there and appears to be pretty much the same format as an obj from Sculptris.

    I think I'll try opening a sculptris file in C8, export that and see if it wiil open in Sculptris. THen I can can compare 2 files .

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,969
    edited December 1969

    Meshlab = for cleaning up a mesh and also “decimating”

    http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/

    much better polygon reduction tool than carrara

    and once the mesh is cleaned up you might be able to take it into sculptris to use the polygon reduction paint brush
    for more selectiove poly reduction

    (reason: sculptris is very touchy at what meshes you can import)

    http://pixologic.com/sculptris/

    plus other stuff as well

    thanks to Roygee for putting me onto meshlab

    Signature
    http://andrewfinnie.blogspot.com.au/

    I've had some sucess with meshlab
    with the cleaning up tools - you'll have to do some reading to see which ones they are sorry I can't remember

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145
    edited December 1969

    I just tried exporting from C8.5 and importing into Sculptris - no problems (except Sculptris didn't like n-gons or too many polys linked at one point). So it does work. I can't think why it is not working in your case.

  • mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    Thanks, Head Wax.

    I will look at those for future use but I don't think mesh complexity is the problem. After I couldn't get this to work the first time I tried just a simple cube and sphere to make the obj file as simple as possible and I still get the "No Vertices" error. I tried importing a Sculptris sphere into C8.5 and then exporting again and looked at the 2 files and with text edit and they are quite different. I'm not a programmer so that little test is of limited help to me :)

    I'm going to keep playing around with this but if anyone else has had this error or has other suggestions I'm still looking for help.

    Thanks Phil for trying that. At least that tells me it's something I'm doing and not a Sculptris/C8.5 problem.

  • mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I just downloaded MeshLab and got the same thing as Sculptris. Meshlab error "No vertex field found".

    Using Textedit I opened a obj file exported from Carrara, one from Sculptris and one from the Meshlab sample. I can't see anything obvious like a missing # or something like that in the Carrara exported file.

    I can import into Carrara an obj file that was created by exporting from Carrara but I cannot open the same file in Sculptris or Meshlab.

    I'm spending way too much time trying to figure this out so I'm giving up for now.

    Thanks to all for suggestions.

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145
    edited December 1969

    Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble, it really should be a simple operation so I can understand your frustration.

    For the record my settings on export are:
    Target - Default Preset
    Map Carrara Z axis to OBJ Y is checked, other options are left unchecked (unless you are using morphs or bones, in which case the Morphs and Skinning option should also be checked)
    Surface Fidelity - 100%
    Materials Export - I selected None
    Write file name as Name Only

    Not sure if this helps, but good luck anyway.

  • ncampncamp Posts: 345
    edited October 2013

    PhilW,

    I tried those settings and got an object (- bones) into Modo. Then I remembered that I had Sculptris Alpha, and the was able to import my Carrara objs.

    ncamp

    Post edited by ncamp on
  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,332
    edited December 1969

    photonprez said:
    I am just selecting the object (simple sphere or cube) in the Vertex modeler or the Assembly room and exporting as obj.
    Go into the vertex modeler and Construct Cube, just leave the default. Deselect everything and Close the modeler for that file in the upper right. Now return to the Assembly room. Select the new object in the instances tab and export using the file menu. See what happens.
  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145
    edited December 1969

    Dart's answer made me think of something - excuse me if this sounds obvious. but you are selecting the object that you want to save before selecting Export?

  • DartanbeckDartanbeck Posts: 21,332
    edited October 2013

    Well, it was the words in the quote I've included that made me think that, somehow, I think that the OBJ export may be the culprit here. Especially when it was mentioned that there weren't many options to choose from. Exporting an OBJ should call up a huge pile of options.

    Post edited by Dartanbeck on
  • evilproducerevilproducer Posts: 9,050
    edited December 1969

    Dartanbeck said:
    Well, it was the words in the quote I've included that made me think that, somehow, I think that the OBJ export may be the culprit here. Especially when it was mentioned that there weren't many options to choose from. Exporting an OBJ should call up a huge pile of options.

    Good possible catch Dart!

  • mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I've done everything that has been suggested in that past few posts. After the first time I could not import to Sculptris I tried to eliminate as many variables as I could. I made a simple 3 x 3 x 3 cube in the vertex modeler, and exported with the setting Phil mentioned above ( and a lot of other variations). I tried smoothing the cube, tesselating, triangulating, subdividing . . . tried a 4x4x4 cube (thinking that maybe it wasn't working because it couldn't use symmetry on a 3x3x3) .etc. etc.

    I also have tried exporting directly from the vertex modeler and the Assembly Room (just the cube selected in both cases).

    I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the way the file is written . . .that is, there's an extra space or a # in the wrong place or something like that but I don't know why this would be happening just to me. Although I am getting exactly the same error on two computers . . .my MacBook Pro, 10.7.5 & C8.5 Pro and a Power Mac 10.6.something & C7 Pro

    I don't know what I could be doing wrong The only things I'm setting are "Map Carrara Z to obj y", Fidelity 100%, Material = none, Name=name only (and I've tried many other combinations too). I frequently need to export files from Vectorworks to AutoCAD or vice versa and there are dozens of parameters to set so this should be easy.

    Since it appears that this is not a common problem I'm just letting it bump around in my head while I work on something else. I have a copy of Blender so I could probably learn to use that to do simple models to open in Sculptris and I can export from Sculptris and open in C8.

    Thanks for everyone's help on this so far. I'm sure it won't be long before I'm back with another problem.

  • HeadwaxHeadwax Posts: 9,969
    edited December 1969

    Hi yes I had the same problem going from Car to sculptris so you are not alone.
    If I get a chance next week I will have a play - as meshlab fixed the problem for me without reducing polys etc. from memory it did anyway
    as far as their being no verticies being exported, that's very weird.

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145
    edited December 1969

    The only difference that I can see between what you are doing that doesn't work, and what I am doing which does, is that you are on a Mac and I am on a Windows PC. That shouldn't be an issue, but it's the only thing I can think of right now.

  • mmoriarty311_698a63361bmmoriarty311_698a63361b Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    I found a work around for this problem and others may find this a useful tool. It's a file converter from AutoDesk. It will convert multiple file types to FBX and then you can convert the fbx back to other file types so it's a 2-step process.

    I am able to open my obj file exported from C8.5 and save to fbx, then open the fbx and re-save as an obj which will open in Sculptris. After modifying in Sculptris and exporting, the new modified obj opens in C8.5 with no problems.

    It's a long way around but it works.

    The AutoDesk file converter seems to work pretty well except that you must save everything FBX and then convert the FBX to 3ds, obj, etc.

    It has some other parameters that can be set for the conversion and it might be useful to someone else that is having file problems.

    the link for the FBX converter is . . .

    http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?id=10775855&siteID=123112

    Thanks to all for helpful suggestions.

    PhilW, I'm working my way through the Carrara tutorials and finding them very useful. I'm really glad I got C8.5 so I can work on a newer operating system. I had forgotten how much fun Carrara can be. The tutorials are helping be much more productive.

  • PhilWPhilW Posts: 5,145
    edited December 1969

    photonprez said:
    PhilW, I'm working my way through the Carrara tutorials and finding them very useful. I'm really glad I got C8.5 so I can work on a newer operating system. I had forgotten how much fun Carrara can be. The tutorials are helping be much more productive.

    Good to know, I'm pleased they are useful to you. I have now finished the 8.5 update for Infinite Skills so that should be available soon, I hope.

  • Marco42Marco42 Posts: 12
    edited December 1969

    If you use Poser to import/export the .obj file, Sculptris will open it with no problem.

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