Export model with correct normals?

mastaklo

Newbie

Posts: 11

Export model with correct normals?

« on: March 12, 2018, 20:17 »

hey.
for Dragon ball fighterZ modding we obviously use your tool to export models and then modify them.
the problem is that in fighterz the models highly depends on the normals for the shading to look good.
when i preview the model in umodel the normals would be correct. but after exporting to .psk and importing into 3ds max with the actorx importer the normals seem just to be smoothed.
so i dont know if thats something from umodel or the actorx importer but is there any chance to get the model with the normals as seen in umodel into 3ds max? that would help out the fighterz modding community so much.
here i got some pictures for better understanding
this is a model displayed in umodel. take a look at the triangles underneath the eyes. the normals tell the game which shading level to use.

here is a ingame picture where you can see how it looks

and this is the model in 3ds max

here are the model files so you can take a look at them incase you need them.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/et3ddlpeg772sl8/Mesh.rar?dl=0


« Last Edit: March 12, 2018, 20:19 by mastaklo »	Logged

Gildor

Administrator
Hero Member

Posts: 7973

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2018, 20:25 »

UModel uses normals stored in model itself. However when saving it to psk, normals are stripped - the file format just doesn't have a place for normals. I see no workaround for that, sorry.


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mastaklo

Newbie

Posts: 11

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2018, 20:41 »

hm thats a bummer.
we have to continue to recreate the normals by hand then i guess.
thanks for the info


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Gildor

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Posts: 7973

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2018, 20:59 »

There are 2 file formats with supports normals: fbx and glTF. Despite I have more than enough experience working with fbx now, I'm not considering adding its support into UModel. However I'm thinking of adding glTF support. The only thing which stops me from doing that is that this format is almost not supported anywhere. Unity has a few plugins (Unity support has least possible priority for me). UE4 has glTF StaticMesh import in 4.19 (but no SkeletalMesh). Max and Maya seems doesn't have glTF support at all, and it's very unlikely that Autodesk will integrate "fbx killer" into their software.


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mastaklo

Newbie

Posts: 11

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2018, 21:19 »

would be so cool if you could get it to work somehow.
why you dont want to add fbx support if i may ask?
and it seems that blender can handle glTF with plugins. if that would work we could just export from blender in fbx.
https://github.com/KhronosGroup/glTF#converters-and-exporters


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Gildor

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Posts: 7973

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2018, 22:51 »

It would be nice if Autodesk would support glTF in their products. This could solve lots of problems which exists now. Or at least if some third-party plugin for it would exist.

Regarding fbx. I don't like an idea of including huge sdk dll into umodel, and it is not possible to support fbx without use of that sdk. Also, working with skeletal meshes and animations using fbx sdk is quite difficult.


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mastaklo

Newbie

Posts: 11

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2018, 00:44 »

i see. even if chances are pretty low i figure i can just ask this.
what if you dont include fbx for the public build but make like a version we modders can use for FZ. i understand if you dont have the time for that or simply dont want to.


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Gildor

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Posts: 7973

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2018, 08:43 »

Quote from: mastaklo on March 13, 2018, 00:44

if you dont have the time for that or simply dont want to.

Actually both.


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mastaklo

Newbie

Posts: 11

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2018, 18:59 »

ok. maybe we can safe the normal work someday if glTF is supported. keep up the great work^^


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venturion

Jr. Member

Posts: 77

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2019, 08:38 »

As much as I find myself terribly late for this post, I found that this modified umodel can extract with original normals via fbx export. However, there is no skinweight data on fbx despite the bones so one has to transfer the vertex group/skinweight from psk to fbx via blender.

https://fighterzmods.com/mods/umodel_dbzf/

Be aware that this modified umodel in regards of features and changes is severely outdated compared to what Gildor's.


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Gildor

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Posts: 7973

Re: Export model with correct normals?

« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2019, 09:19 »

There was a pull request on github which has a possibility to export static meshes to fbx. For many reasons, I rejected that pull request. Most likely guys who uploaded that mod, just grabbed that PR and gave credits to themselves.

But anyway, umodel can export glTF now, with saving all normals and tangents. There's no point for adding fbx export.


« Last Edit: March 17, 2019, 09:26 by Gildor »	Logged

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