Import/Export blender to SL ?

Hi everybody,

I dived into blender for a few weeks now for sculptie-creating. But now I've got trouble with the export to SL! I really read a lot and tried several tutorials (especially the ones from Lex Zhaoying and Amanda levitsky) and exactly following the tutorials it worked, but since trying my own forms with meshes, nurbs etc. it always goes wrong.... does somebody know another link or is so extraordinary kind to help me ?
I have a mac and can't really use the many import/export scripts, but how do they work though? are there any for macs? how do I "install"/use them?

Is there any kind of instruction, how exactly to export from blender to SL valid as well for more difficult forms?

Thank you all a lot, I'm looking forward to your answers!
Viola

My scripts should work on Mac. I don't have a mac, but I think the directory to put them in is something like:

/Applications/blender/blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/

It might have a version number in there somewhere with the builds from http://graphicall.org if you want to use the multires features.

hey domino,
thanks for your answer, but I'm sorry, I don't understand... I've never done anything with scripts before, so I don't know at all, how to work them! how do get the ones you use?

/8/60/203571/1.html

That's the main thread for the scripts. Basically just unzip and follow the instructions in readme.txt

thanks again, I just followd your tip, but there is no folder that says
/Applications/blender/blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/

instead I have the folder "blender-2.45-darwin-8.10.1-i386" and the blender.app beneath it. In the "blender-2.45..." folder itself there is only a "plugins" folder containung a "include", "sequence" and "texture" folder.... so I simply can't install the script, just as before!

do I need the previous blender version?

It's probably due to hidden folders not showing in the file finder. Try entering:

/Applications/blender-2.45-darwin-8.10.1-i386/blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/

in the finder address bar and see if that brings up the list of current scripts.

or if you want to avoid guesswork try http://www.macworld.com/article/51830/2006/07/showallfinder.html

i'm sorry, but this folder "scripts" obviously isn't in my "blender" folder or anywhere else. I tried it with an extra search app from your link (thanks by the way, but still, there must be something wrong with my blender configurations?
I made an attachment with a screenshot of how it looks like in my finder. I hope you can see it!

I appreciate your effort with me and hope you're not that annoyed...

I'm not annoyed at all It's frustrating to try and figure out a system I don't have, but I think it's worth continuing as the mac issue of where to put the scripts has come up a few times and no-one ever came back to me to say they got it working.

From what I can gather, by default a Mac application (blender.app) is a kind of archive that can have multiple directories and files in it. Do you see any of these folders when Blender.app is selected? It's in there where I'd expect to see the Contents directory etc..

Apparantly you can right click on the Blender.app and pick "Show Package Contents" to see what's in there. With the show all files option from above, I think this will let you do it all through finder.

Alternatively, given where you have already put the .py files, you could open a terminal window and run this command:

cp /Applications/blender-2.45-darwin-8.10.1-i386/plugins/*.py /Applications/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/

I managed it!! A friend could help me. For the future and in case you get questioned again, this is how it goes:

-make sure that the blender.app is IN not outside in your blender folder in your applications
-name your blender folder simply "blender", often it has long difficult names with the version number in it etc.
-go to the finder and in the upper menu panel to the "Go To" button
-choose the one above the last, it should be named like "Go To Folder..."
-enter in the upcoming window: /Applications/blender/blender.app/contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts
-then the contents menu (and the scripts menu at last) of your blender.app should come up in your finder and this is, where you drag+drop the 3 .py-files!

it should work an any mac, IF the blender folder is really named "blender"

sooo, this is what I did and in my blender under file->export occurs an "SL sculptie" option and in Render->Bake SL sculptie. I think that's a good thing? I just tried it, but a window appears with: Python script error. check console
What does that mean?
I have the feeling I'm very close!

Thanks, useful to know



If you went straight for the render with the default cube, then it's because it's not UV mapped by default. Delete the cube and try one of the sculpt mesh types (Add - Mesh - Sculpt Mesh)

Otherwise, you should be able to get the exact error message by looking at your console log in /Applications/Utilities/console

ok, I tried the sculpt mesh and followed the readme.txt from the zip, but after baking my figure I can't see it in the UV/Image editor! Did I overlook a step?
thaaaaaanks

You should just be able to select it from the combo box in the UV Image Editor toolbar, or if you go into edit mode and select all faces it will automatically display the assigned image.

somehow it won't even bake anymore... I don't know what I am doing wrong, it says Python script error again. And what exactly do mean by Combo box? I tried your tip before, but the form won't show up in UV editor
I've reread a few more threads and your instruction again, but I don't get the mistake....

A combo box is a combination of a text editor and a list box, it lets you choose from the list and type in a new name.

I need the exact error from the console log to see what's wrong. The Python script error just means that something has gone wrong and you need to look at the console to see what it was.

If you add a sculpt mesh of type torus, do the render - bake second life sculpties, and open a UV Image Editor, you should be able to select the image as shown in attached picture.

I've attached two screenshots of the console.log error explanation, I hope you can understand, what it means! I think I might have a too new version of blender...?
Am I right, that you have so far the only import/export blender to SL script? Did you write it?
If yes, WOW

It looks like too old a version of Blender. The problem is that it was compiled with Python 2.3 and my script uses sorted() which was introduced in Python 2.4 (current Python is 2.5)

So you'll need a version of Blender that was compiled with a later version of Python. http://graphicall.org is the place to get one, but I don't know enough about Macs to suggest which one will work for you. Just try the latest one that matches your OS and processor, if you see one that specifically says python 2,5 all the better.

Oh hang on.. just remembered seeing an email about rc1 test builds for Blender 2.46..

http://www.asvattha.com/blenderstuff/blender-2.46rc-OSX-10.3-py2.5-intel.zip

If that's wrong then asking at http://blenderartists.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=13 is probably the quickest way as there's more Mac Blender users hang around there than here

And yes I did write the scripts

Thanks a lot for your help!! I'm afraid the asvattha.com link's not working, but I just posted a new thread in the blenderartistforum

I also tried to find something suitable for me an the graphicall.org site, but I can't see which one's rigt for me...

I googled the python problem and as it seems, the latest blender version 2.45 for mac runs only with python 2.3 - I hope somebody on the artistforum can help me, but I think my blender version won't support the needed python... so close and failed anyway....

but still, you were a great help of course, thanks for your time! now I know where to find a script folder of an program and what a console log means
THX

hey domino,
I hope you get to read this - but I finally could manage to find and download a python 2.44 version for mac and can't figure out how to combine it with blender... do you know how?
thanks!!!

There's a few ways python can be compiled. Standalone, which is what you have downloaded, or included with another application, which is how Blender uses it. Blender is a little unusual in that it has a cut down version of python, and will use a full install of python if it's available, however they do need to be the same version. So to use the python 2.4 you downloaded, you'd need a version of Blender compiled with python 2.4

There's nothing in my scripts that actually need the full install of python, so just getting a Blender built with 2.4 or 2.5 is enough. The one I mentioned earlier has been moved to the official blender site so you might try http://download.blender.org/release/Blender2.46rc/blender-2.46-RC1-OSX-10.3-py2.5-intel.zip

good to know
I downloaded your link and the .app won't open.... I also found and downloaded the perfect blender version with blender 2.45 and python 2.5 for mac intel, but it crashes before opening as well.
The crashreporter says:

Host Name: diana-betaks-computer
Date/Time: 2008-03-04 22:19:44.097 +0100
OS Version: 10.4.11 (Build 8S2167)
Report Version: 4

Command: blender
Path: /Users/sashdid/Desktop/blender-2.45-darwin-8.10.1-i386/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender
Parent: WindowServer [84]

Version: 2.45 (2.45, 2007-Sep-15, Blender Foundation)

PID: 354
Thread: Unknown

Link (dyld) error:

Library not loaded: /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/Python
Referenced from: /Users/sashdid/Desktop/blender-2.45-darwin-8.10.1-i386/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/blender
Reason: image not found



Thanks once again for your help

Maybe the Mac builds need an installed Python? That might explain why 2.3 Python is still used as that's the one that ships with OSX. Might be worth trying installing Python 2.5

http://www.python.org/download/

Oh and 2.45 isn't the perfect Blender version for my scripts as I use a feature from 2.46 so you really need one of the later builds to get the full features (it will work on 2.45, but you won't get the benefit of multires for seeing LODs)

YAAAAAYYY!! IT WORKS!!
You made it! as you said I installed a new python 2.5 for mac from here:
http://www.python.org/download/mac/
it installs itself thank god
and with that magically the new 2.46 blender releases work, as the baking does....
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I could cry......

I just wanted to ask you finally, if I can modell the sculpt mesh with a lattice or give it a grid to work with? Or can I turn a modelled NURBS-object afterwards in a sculpt mesh?

Great Thanks for being willing to stick with it until we figured it out.



Basically the script will only bake polygons and it needs them to be mapped to a square. Apart from that anything goes. So yes, you can use nurbs, just convert them to polys before baking. You can use the lattice mesh deforms and other modifiers, but you will need to apply them before baking (at least with the current scripts - I'll probably change this at some point so you don't need to apply them).

Perfect!!! So I finally can get started!
I really want to thank you for your time, advice and support, without you I never would have gotten to the solution! I wonder if you have an SL avatar and spend some time inworld, if yes, I would like to give a little gift if you like my sister is Emilia Redgrave, maybe you heard from her and the Redgrave fashion. You helped us both a lot and you are very welcome to visit her shop and pick out whatever you wish to as a gift! This is not much compared to the importance of getting this script, python and blender going, but maybe you like what she does and in future we both will be doing I will name my firstborn after you, I promise
So once again THANK YOUUUUU

You don't need sculpties to do a Domino, just use a cube and a texture

Hope you have fun now it's working. Feel free to shout if any more questions come up.