Chapter 20 Import and Export
From ShadeCamp
Shade can import a wide variety of 3D graphics file formats, enabling you to work with files created in other software applications. Shade is also able to export to many file formats. In this chapter we will look at importing and exporting Wavefront OBJ, a format widely supported by many 3D applications. We will also look at exporting to QuickTime VR. For information about importing and exporting to other file formats, please see the Reference manual.
Contents |
OBJ Export
Shade has the ability to export directly to the Wavefront OBJ format, which allows you to take objects created in Shade and open them within other 3D programs, such as Poser. A vast variety of other 3D applications also support the OBJ file format.
Exporting to OBJ
1. Within Shade, select the object that you wish to export.
2. From the File menu, select Export Wavefront OBJ. This will open the OBJ Export dialog window.
3. Specify the following export options:
Text File Pull-down Menu
Choose a text format from Mac, DOS or Unix.
Output Pull-down Menu
Choose the target to export, either All Objects or Selected Objects. Only the objects selected in the Browser window of Shade will be exported when Selected Objects is chosen, while all the objects in the file will be exported when All Objects is chosen.
Surface Subdivision Pull-down Menu
Choose a surface subdivision level for the objects being exported, from No Subdivision / Coarse / Regular / Fine / Very Fine. The finer the subdivision, the higher the quality will be. However, finer subdivisions will also increase the data size.
Binary / Text Pull-down Menu
This option is not applicable to the OBJ file format.
Surface Attributes Checkbox
This option is not applicable to the OBJ file format.
4. Specify the desired location for the exported file.
Triangulate Mesh
By default, the OBJ exporter tries whenever possible to create a mesh consisting of quads. However, if the object being exported from Shade was already a polygon object, it is exported using the existing vertex count per polygon. This assures the best possible surface mapping later on. If you would prefer a triangular mesh instead of either of these cases, activate this option.
Create Double Sided Faces (Polygons)
If surface normal direction is not an issue, the OBJ exporter can create double-sided polygons for you. Essentially, it will create two polygons from each set of vertices. The surface normals of the paired polygons point in opposite directions.
Preserve Surface Normals
Check this option to preserve the vertex normals as specified in Shade.
Preserve UV Mapping Data
In order to achieve good-looking surface mapping on non-primitive objects, you need UV mapping information. Check this option if you want to export any UV mapping information created in Shade.
Create Material File (.mtl)
Select this option to preserve any given surface definition created in Shade. The OBJ exporter will write a material definition file (.mtl) that complements the geometry in the OBJ file.
Create Subfolder for Textures
If you export complex objects consisting of many sub-objects, you may end up with a .mtl file that references a lot of texture maps. To better organize these files, check this option; the OBJ exporter then will write all textures to a subfolder.
Convert to Poser Native Units
Poser comes with a selection of possible coordinate units. The traditional system is the Poser Native Unit (PNU). If you want the coordinates in the OBJ file converted to PNU, check this option.
Target OS
Select either Windows or Mac OS to specify the target Operating System for the exported OBJ file. Note: If you have selected a mirrored object for exporting to OBJ, you must take the following steps in order to ensure that your exported geometry looks correct when imported into Poser or other 3D applications.
Exporting a Quality Polygon Mesh
1. Change the Display Mode to Shading, and select Single-sided in the Figure Window.
2. Select Show Normals from the Modify Menu. A corner is formed at each Corner-on Point on the Path, making the landing points for the sphere.
3. Adjust the direction of the faces for all objects by using the Flip Face checkbox in the Browser Window.
QuickTime VR Exporter
QuickTime VR Exporter makes it possible to view images rendered in Shade as virtual reality movies in Apple’s QuickTime Player. By playing movies in the QuickTime Player it is possible to change the camera view dynamically using the mouse, creating interactive scenes.
QuickTime VR Export Formats
Shade can export QuickTime VR movies in the following formats:
QuickTime VR Panorama
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Panorama can be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally centered on the Eye point. Depending on the settings some limited vertical camera movement is also possible.
QuickTime VR Cubic
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Cubic can be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally as well as 90 degrees vertically. This added vertical freedom of movement results in even greater dynamic field of views.
QuickTime VR Object
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Object can also be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically but the camera can also be focused on an object in the scene, rotating around a single point to view it from all angles. This section explains how to export QuickTime VR movies. Important: Apple's QuickTime Player must be installed in order to view QuickTime VR movies. If you are using a Windows platform on which it is not installed, run the installer provided with Shade. QuickTime is included with Mac OS X.
Exporting QuickTime VR Panorama Movies
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Panorama can be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally centered on the Eye point. Depending on the settings some limited vertical camera movement may also be possible.
1. First set up the scene you wish to export as a QuickTime VR Panorama movie.
2. Adjust the Background and rendering settings as you would before rendering out a normal scene. Important: QuickTime VR Panorama format does not support Scanline rendering.
3. Adjust the position of the camera that you wish to use for rendering to the center of the QuickTime VR scene. Note: When playing QuickTime VR Panorama movies, the initial image is always set to the Z axis, not the camera view.
4. Choose File > Export > QTVR Panorama. A Save dialog opens.
5. Choose a name and save location for the QuickTime VR movie file and click OK. The QTVR Panorama dialog appears.
6. Adjust the QTVR Panorama values if you wish and click OK. For detailed information on the QTVR Panorama settings, see QuickTime VR Exporter Reference later in this chapter. The Image window appears and rendering begins. Note: The size of the rendered image is calculated automatically based on the default FOV value and the resolution, height and width specified in the Rendering Settings window. The size of the movie played in the QuickTime Player is the same as that specified by the resolution, height and width in the Rendering Settings window.
7. When the rendering completely finishes the QuickTime VR Panorama movie will be created.
Exporting QuickTime VR Cubic Movies
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Cubic can be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally as well as ±90 degrees vertically. This added vertical freedom of movement results in even greater dynamic field of views.
1. First set up the scene you wish to export as aQuickTime VR Cubic movie.
2. Adjust the Background and rendering settings as you would before rendering out a normal scene.
3. Adjust the position of the camera that you wish to use for rendering to the center of the QuickTime VR scene. Note: When playing QuickTime VR Cubic movies, the initial image is set to the Z axis, not the camera view.
4. Choose File > Export > QTVR Cubic. A Save dialog opens.
5. Choose a name and save location for the QuickTime VR movie file and click OK. The QTVR Cubic dialog appears.
6. Adjust the QTVR Cubic values if you wish and click OK. For detailed information on the QTVR Cubic settings, see QuickTime VR Exporter Reference later in this chapter. The Image window opens and rendering begins. Note: The size of the rendered image is calculated automatically based on the default FOV value and the resolution, height and width specified in the Rendering Settings. The size of the movie played in the QuickTime Player is the same as that specified by the resolution, height and width in the Rendering Settings window. Once rendering starts a progress bar is displayed to show the percent complete.
To cancel the QTVR movie rendering click the Cancel button in the progress bar dialog. The Cancel button in the Image window will not cancel a QuickTime VR movie render.
7. When the rendering completely finishes the QuickTime VR Cubic movie will be created.
Exporting QuickTime VR Object Movies
Shade scenes exported as QuickTime VR Object can also be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally and ±90 degrees vertically but the camera can be focused on an object in the scene, rotating around a single point to view it from all angles.
1. First set up the scene you wish to export as a QuickTime VR Object movie.
2. Adjust the Background and rendering settings as you would before rendering out a normal scene.
3. Adjust the position of the camera that you wish to use for rendering to the center of the QuickTime VR scene. Note: QuickTime VR Object movies use the camera Target point as the center of the scene and rotate about that point using a radius equal to the distance between the camera Target point and the Eye point. The camera field of view is applied directly to the QuickTime VR Object movie. Note: When playing QuickTime VR Object movies, the initial image is set to the Y axis, not the camera view.
4. Choose File > Export > QTVR Object. A Save dialog opens. 5. Choose a name and save location for the QuickTime VR movie file and click OK. The QTVR Object dialog appears.
6. The default number of columns (pan) and rows (tilt) result in a fairly smooth QuickTime VR movie but a very large file size. Use modest values (resulting in fewer frames) first to get a feel for how the output will look, and then if you wish adjust the number of frames higher for the final output. To further reduce the number of frames or for scenes with a ground plane, check the Render Top Hemisphere Only checkbox. For detailed information on the QTVR Object settings, see QuickTime VR Exporter Reference later in this chapter. On Windows, the Image window opens and rendering begins. On Mac OS X the Compression Settings dialog box first opens allowing you to adjust these settings before beginning rendering. It is recommended to use the default Compression Settings except for adjusting the Compression Type. Note: The rendered image uses the resolution, height and width set in the Rendering Settings. The number of frames rendered is equal to the Number of Columns (Pan) multiplied by the Number of Rows (Tilt), as set in the QTVR Object dialog. For example, a movie rendered with 6 columns and 4 rows will have (6 x 4) = 24 frames. Once rendering starts a progress bar is displayed to show the percent complete.
To cancel the QTVR movie rendering click the Cancel button in the progress bar dialog. The Cancel button in the Image window will not cancel a QuickTime VR movie render.
7. When the rendering completely finishes the QuickTime VR Object movie will be created.
QuickTime VR Exporter Reference
This section explains each of the QuickTime VR Exporter settings in detail.
QTVR Panorama Dialog
Pan
Pan is the horizontal camera movement.
Default
The angle in the horizontal plane the camera is facing initially during movie playback. The default value is 0.
Max
The maximum angle to which the camera can rotate in the horizontal plane during playback. The default value is 360.
Min
The minimum angle to which the camera can rotate in the horizontal plane during playback. The default value is 360. Note: Maximum and minimum Pan values of 360 and 0, respectively, results in a movie in which the camera can rotate with complete freedom in the horizontal plane.
Tilt
Tilt is the vertical camera movement.
Default
The angle in the vertical plane the camera is facing initially during movie playback. The default value is 0.
Max
The maximum angle to which the camera can rotate in the horizontal plane during playback. The default value is 45. Values greater than 45 degress are not possible with QuickTime VR Panorama movies.
Min
The minimum angle to which the camera can rotate in the horizontal plane during playback. The default value is 45. Values less than 45 degress are not possible with QuickTime VR Panorama movies.
Field Of View
Field Of View is the viewable angle of the image.
Default
The standard camera field of view during movie playback. Note: The size of the rendered image is calculated automatically based on the the default Field Of View value specified in the QTVR Panorama dialog and the resolution, height and width specified in the Rendering Settings.
Max
The widest camera angle when viewing the movie during playback. If there are zoom in and zoom out buttons on the QuickTime VR movie player, this angle is equal to the zoomed out view.
Min
The narrowest camera angle when viewing the movie during playback. If there are zoom in and zoom out buttons on the QuickTime VR movie player, this angle is equal to the zoomed in view.
QTVR Cubic Dialog
Field Of View
Field Of View is the viewable angle of the image.
Default
The standard camera field of view during movie.
Max
The widest camera angle when viewing the movie during playback. If there are zoom in and zoom out buttons on the QuickTime VR movie player, this angle is equal to the zoomed out view.
Min
The narrowest camera angle when viewing the movie during playback. If there are zoom in and zoom out buttons on the QuickTime VR movie player, this angle is equal to the zoomed in view.
QTVR Object Dialog
Number of Columns (Pan)
The number of frames rendered in the horizontal direction.
Number of Rows (Tilt)
The number of frames rendered in the vertical direction.
Render Top Hemisphere Only Checkbox
If checked, only the upper hemisphere is rendered. Use this to restrict the view to the top half of the scene, useful when you wish to hide the underside of objects or for scenes with a ground plane. Note: The number of frames rendered is equal to the Number of Columns (Pan) multiplied by the Number of Rows (Tilt). A greater number of frames will result in smoother movie playback but will increase the rendering time and resulting file size. |
