Importing .obj stuff to DAZ

Can someone tell me please, how do I get .obj files to work in DAZ? Or if there is a tutorial on this, could someone point me towards it?

 There seems to be a massive amount of really interesting 3D stuff out there which so far I can't buy because I'm not sure if or how I can get it to work.

 

Thanks....

Comments

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604

    I guess you are talking about Daz Studio (DS)  AFAIK you have to import OBJ files.  I will see if I can find some who knows more about DS to give you more advice.

  • TotteTotte Posts: 14,013

    Hello,

    There are a few things to keep in mind when importing .obj-files
     

    (1)  .obj files anre imported, not loaded through the normal load interface.

    (2) Where does it come from, i.e. what is the unit size to real world size ratio of that modeler? DS has a few presents fore the most common ones, but often it's trial and error. Import at 100%, dod it come it too big or too small? delete import again with a changed value. To meassure, if you do not have meassure metrics, just create a cube in DS that is 1m and use that as a reference.

    (3) Materials, does the obj has a material (.mat) file and is it correctly setup? If the object comes in invisible, try to import without loading the .mat file and see if that helps.

    (4) Select the imported object and switch to UV-View, to see how ther UV-maps looks. Is it mapped at all? Is it mapped sloppy or good? A badly UV-mapped object won't work very well.

     

     

     

  • Totte said:

    Hello,

    There are a few things to keep in mind when importing .obj-files
     

    (1)  .obj files anre imported, not loaded through the normal load interface.

    (2) Where does it come from, i.e. what is the unit size to real world size ratio of that modeler? DS has a few presents fore the most common ones, but often it's trial and error. Import at 100%, dod it come it too big or too small? delete import again with a changed value. To meassure, if you do not have meassure metrics, just create a cube in DS that is 1m and use that as a reference.

    (3) Materials, does the obj has a material (.mat) file and is it correctly setup? If the object comes in invisible, try to import without loading the .mat file and see if that helps.

    (4) Select the imported object and switch to UV-View, to see how ther UV-maps looks. Is it mapped at all? Is it mapped sloppy or good? A badly UV-mapped object won't work very well.

     

     

     

    Ahh I see... Thanks Totte, it is obviously more tricky than I thought dude, I'll give it a miss.

  • SixDsSixDs Posts: 2,384
    edited February 2016

    Wavefront object files that use the.obj file extension can be imported into DAZ Studio, and generally will do so successfully ... sort of. One problem is that most 3D applications, including modelling programs support Wavefront object format, but these varied programs use differing basic virtual scales natively. Many of them can export objects at scales that apply to the target application (like DAZ Studio, Poser, Blender, etc.), but in order to import them into DAZ Studio you must know this. Unfortunately these object files rarely tell you at what scale they were created or exported. So, upon import, you are presented with a dialogue that asks at what scale you want to import and you are often forced to guess. Sometimes you may get lucky, but most often the object opens at either a very large or very tiny scale compared to DAZ native content. You then have two options: either you use the scale sliders to scale the object up or down as required, or you can remove it and try importing it again at a different scale. Either way, once you get it sized the way you want, you should save it to preserve the scale, making certain it is saved using the DAZ Studio scale option. Next time that you use it, it should be imported at DAZ Studio scale and it should load correctly.

    Another potential problem that can be encountered is the failure of the material files to load. Each .obj file should have an accompanying .mtl file (material file) that points to texture settings and texture maps, if used. If the settings in the material file are incompatible with DAZ Studio, they may not load.  If texture maps are used, they must also be included in the object package, or DAZ Studio obviously won't be able to load them. If the texture maps are placed in the wrong location, that may also be a problem.

    Lastly, if the model (object) is rigged, chances are the rigging will not load in DAZ Studio due to differences in the way different programs rig models. If so, re-rigging in DAZ Studio is the only solution, and if the nodes (different parts) of the model aren't identified under the parameters tab, which is quite common, then the nodes need to be created first.

    Those are just some of the difficulties that you can encounter, and some work may be inevitable getting them to work as expected. As for knowing in advance if, or how well, they will work in DAZ Studio is concerned, there is little alternative but to ask the creator or someone else who has used the object, if possible, unless it expressly states it is designed to work in Studio

    Post edited by SixDs on
  • OK thank you for that SixD, that's very usefull information dude. I've been looking around various sites which have tons of really great 3D stuff for sale but it's mostly in 3ds or Max and other such stuff, it's not cheap to buy so I think I'm probably better leaving it where it is...haha.

  • SixDsSixDs Posts: 2,384

    If the stuff is done in 3DS and offered in the older .3ds format, they often can be converted in a modelling program like Blender to .obj format for import into DAZ Studio (subject, of course, to what i mentioned earlier). If, however, they are created as the newer .max format, those can only be opened in 3DS itself.

  • SixDs said:

    If the stuff is done in 3DS and offered in the older .3ds format, they often can be converted in a modelling program like Blender to .obj format for import into DAZ Studio (subject, of course, to what i mentioned earlier). If, however, they are created as the newer .max format, those can only be opened in 3DS itself.

    OK thanks SixD, I have Blender so I think I'll risk buying one of the cheaper models and see where I go with it.

  • NovicaNovica Posts: 23,896

    I was doing some research on this yesterday, and when you import, if nothing shows up, check to see if there is a space in the file name. Studio doesn't like spaces.

    I got a freebie and tried it, even went to UVMapper, but that tutorial doesn't match the layout and was a total waste of time. But checking the file name for spaces is one tip I can share (and the only one.) 

  • Novica said:

    I was doing some research on this yesterday, and when you import, if nothing shows up, check to see if there is a space in the file name. Studio doesn't like spaces.

    I got a freebie and tried it, even went to UVMapper, but that tutorial doesn't match the layout and was a total waste of time. But checking the file name for spaces is one tip I can share (and the only one.) 

    OK thanks for that....

  • Novica said:

    I was doing some research on this yesterday, and when you import, if nothing shows up, check to see if there is a space in the file name. Studio doesn't like spaces.

    Note that this will also bite you with the .mtl file — it isn't enough to change the name of the .mtl file to match the .obj file, if you open the .obj in a text editor, right at the top you'll see a reference to the .mtl file. This must match the actual file name, or else none of the proper material settings will show up when you import.

    There are other ways the .mtl file can bite you in the anatomy, but that's the one that got me most often until I eventually realised what was happening.

  • So I have this file that is apparently .obj and I unzipped the file. When I tried to import, I got nothing and outside the program, I clicked on the unzipped file and get a rar file. I'm completely lost at trying to import an .obj file so I can make the model look how I want...

  • TotteTotte Posts: 14,013

    So I have this file that is apparently .obj and I unzipped the file. When I tried to import, I got nothing and outside the program, I clicked on the unzipped file and get a rar file. I'm completely lost at trying to import an .obj file so I can make the model look how I want...

    Are you sure it's an .obj file at all?

  • It's what the website said. . .it's most likely not. I've tried searching for files online. It was from this website: sketchfab.com. I think I'll give up for awhile and get back to it. 

  • SixDsSixDs Posts: 2,384

    If you unzipped the file and there was a .rar file inside, then that means that there is a compressed file inside the original compressed .zip archive - really sloppy packaging. The .rar file extension denotes a WinRAR archive (compressed) file, just as .zip denotes a WinZip compressed file. You will need to extract/decompress the contents of the .rar file. Windows cannot do this natively, but the free 7zip utility can extract the contents of .rar files (as well as WinRAR itself, of course, but that is a paid application).

  • Anyone help me please. I'm a beginer, I have exported my charecter G8 femail in Daz 4.10 to obj fle to Marvelous Designer8 and after creating a shirt to my charevtor I have exported a shirt to obj file and imported it in to Daz but the result was the shirt was horizontal and not auto fit so, anyone please give me the better advice. Thanks

     

  • Please make sure that you don't post "nude" figures with skin textures applied/visible. DS, and MD as I recall, have smooth shaded views.

    Your DS settings match so I think the problem is the MD options - what do you have in the Axis section, which was collapsed in your marvellous Designer screen shot? For this x should go to x, yo to y, and z to z.

  • Roman_K2Roman_K2 Posts: 1,242

    ...I clicked on the unzipped file and get a rar file.

    Some people are leery of randomly downloading from unverified web sites and while some caution is indicated, files with ".RAR" are/were usually made with a type of compression.I'm not familiar with the site you mentioned and not sure why anyone would would put extra compression on an already-compressed file, but anyway. Wikipedia English has a good rundown on file types and, in the case of .RAR, how they got that way.

    When you see .RAR what this generally means is that you want to open the .RAR file with a program like "WinRar". (Funny thing, I just tried 7-zip on a .RAR file and nothing happened. Anyway.)

    I have to assume you are/were looking around for cheap models... generally a good thing, and there are a certainly a few nice ones out there. I download .OBJ files all the time, but things that were created in and for another application or market segment won't always translate well into DAZ Studio. Hexagon yes (Hexagon being DAZ's modeller which lets you tweak OBJ and other models), but DAZ Studio = not so much.

    Sometimes you can use "all over shading" to get around some things, for instance if you have a dish or bowl say, and you want to include it in a scene for rendering in Iray, then you can choose a white porcelain shader. Similarly an old, black, tugboat of a spaceship could take a single, all over shader that suggests rust or dust and general grime, grit and noisomeness... lots of those around as well.

    Generally speaking, most DAZ figures look pretty good with just their included hair and accessories. Hard to think of ways in which an unknown model, downloaded as an .OBJ file from who-knows-where, will immediately and with 100% satisfaction make your DAZ model look better! I suppose if you could find a nice, shiny sports car for free this would be a plus but think about it... most people don't give away good stuff for free. Checking the freebie and Fastgrab sections here in DAZ regularly probably makes more sense! On the Turbosquid and similar pages always search with "Lowest prices first".

  • After I import the .obj file the textures are flipped (reversed), how can I fix this ?

     

    Thanks

  • When I try to import an obj file into DS it just shows up transparent and i have no idea how to go from there.  the file name has no spaces...

  • Greetings all.  I have used Hexagon to create a group of cubes.(I need this block guy for a rigging tutorial)

    Upon import of the obj file into DAZ, there is now only one node(the group node) showing and it is not expandable, so the individual cubes are not addressable for rigging.  I won't go into the multitude of ways I have tried to bring the complete model over and have the individual parts be addressable, but I'm a little lost on how to get a model into a riggable state when it appears as a single node.  Had the same problem originally with Blender and then switched to Hexagon hoping that the native relationship between DAZ and Hexagon would eliminate any OBJ incompatibilities.  The cubes are completely primitive and have no material or surface spec.  Just need the cubes so I can rig them.

    Is there a tutorial or something out there I can use?  There isn't a Rigging training tutorial in the studio, and the purchasable product named "DAZ Studio Rigging Made Easy" tutorial STARTS with the group having individual nodes, so I can't even start that tutorial after buying it.

    Thanks in advance!

     

  • Catherine3678abCatherine3678ab Posts: 8,365
    edited January 2023

    mbarbour said:

    Greetings all.  I have used Hexagon to create a group of cubes.(I need this block guy for a rigging tutorial)

    Upon import of the obj file into DAZ, there is now only one node(the group node) showing and it is not expandable, so the individual cubes are not addressable for rigging.  I won't go into the multitude of ways I have tried to bring the complete model over and have the individual parts be addressable, but I'm a little lost on how to get a model into a riggable state when it appears as a single node.  Had the same problem originally with Blender and then switched to Hexagon hoping that the native relationship between DAZ and Hexagon would eliminate any OBJ incompatibilities.  The cubes are completely primitive and have no material or surface spec.  Just need the cubes so I can rig them.

    Is there a tutorial or something out there I can use?  There isn't a Rigging training tutorial in the studio, and the purchasable product named "DAZ Studio Rigging Made Easy" tutorial STARTS with the group having individual nodes, so I can't even start that tutorial after buying it.

    Thanks in advance!

     

    The first one on the table is this one:  https://www.daz3d.com/rigging-original-figures-in-ds4-pro

    A little outdated but explains all the steps -- the outdated part is that one of the tools got a new name. I think that's the geometry editor brush now -- anyhow one can certainly follow it and figure out which tool is required.

    WPGuru also has a free YouTube video where he shows how to add bones to a model without needing the figure/skeleton setup panel.

    https://youtu.be/a7Jnzo4HBXQ

    Post edited by Catherine3678ab on
  • lilweeplilweep Posts: 2,530

    also if thats the one where he uses triax, i think you would just use general weights now.  Esha's tutorials on rigging are probably better.

  • You rock Catherine3678ab!  :)

    That was exactly what I needed to get rolling.

    Thank you very much!

     

  • mbarbour said:

    You rock Catherine3678ab!  :)

    That was exactly what I needed to get rolling.

    Thank you very much!

     

    You're quite welcome :-) 

    Have fun :-)

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