importing AV object into lightwave

I want to get into baking clothing textures, and i understand how the process of baking in lightwave works. What i am wondering, is what is the correct procedure to get the avatar object into lightwave. Does the obj file provided by the Lindens need to be altered in any way before i can use it in lightwave? If so, how? I tried to open the provided mannequin obj file and it looked very rough and bumpy. is this how it is supposed to look?

Any information about this would be much appreciated.

There are a couple of things you'll need to do to prep the model. The reason it looks faceted is there are no smoothing groups assigned to the polygons. Smoothing renders adjacent polygons with a smooth gradient to fake a more complex surface than is actually there. I'm not a lightwave user so I don't know the process in LW. The other major thing you'll need to do is weld some vertices. The model is split up into polygon groups based on the way they're assigned to bones in Poser, so the seams between those groups have redundant vertices. Depending on how LW handles baking, you may want to divide the model into three pieces based on the texture seams. You can assign the clothing templates as a texture map and use that to select the three different parts. Otherwise you'll likely end up baking a texture that has the lower body, upper body, and head all superimposed on one image.

The default file is quite usable -- comes already divided into UV-mapped material groups and such; the reason it looks bumpy is, it's made of something like 4k polys total.

After you load your file into Modeler, hit "m" key to merge vertices, then open the Surface panel, and enable smoothing for each of three materials listed. To apply the texture click "T" button next to the "Color" input field and in the window that opens set projection to UV, uv map to OBJ_UVTextureMap and finally select relevant image for face, torso and/or legs depending which surface you're editing.

well i think my version of Lightwave must be very different from everyone elses (i am using version 9) because i cant find the answer to this anywhere on the web either... When i hit the "M" key, i get Motion Options, not merge. So i looked around the interface to try and find Merge on my own. I saw nothing. I tried "Bone Fuse", because that was the closest thing i could find, but it keeps telling me i need to have 2 or more items selected. How do I select individual pieces? I can only seem to select the entire object.

I figured out how to smooth the pieces just fine. but obviously there is a big seam across the middle as i havent been able to merge yet. I havent even tried to apply the textures yet.

"After you load your file into Modeler..." ^^

from what you describe, you are working in the Layout module which is used for scene setup and rendering, and has its own set of command and key shortcuts. I didn't look into version 9 of Lightwave, but in earlier versions you can either launch modeler separately, or with the button in upper right corner of Layout ... the latter may be more convenient as it sends the object you have currently selected in Layout straight for edit.

ah yes, i did try to do this. i pressed the Modeler button in the upper right corner. it didnt seem to do anything when i did. or at least the screen layout did not appear to change. i dont know if it can be launched separately, but i will definitely try it as soon as i get home tonight. Thanks for your help.

I don't have LW 9 either; but in earlier versions in order for the Modeler button in Layout to work, the Hub had to be enabled. It sounds like it might not be. (They keep changing their minds about whether or not it is by default, and I'm not sure which way they went with 9.)

But I'd be astounded if you couldn't open Modeler separately.

You will need to do the Baking in Layout, though, so it might be worthwhile to enable the hub.

This used to be done by editing the CmdLine documents for Modeler and Layout. (You'd open them, delete the -0, and Save them.) I don't know if it's still done like that in 9 or not. You might want to check the documentation to be sure.

You might also want to try making the model into a Subpatched Object. I know all of that changed in 9; but assuming that the old commands still work, you just Merge the points (as mentioned above,) and then tap the Tab key. That will make your model not only look smooth, but also BE smooth.

I've done it with some success, although I don't usually burn textures since they often "fight" with the SL lighting if you do.

Hope this helps!

thanks guys i have been able to open modeler and fix my AV so its all nice and smooth. now i am just working on how to get the Photoshop textures onto the av.. i'm still trying to find info on that.. i'll get there eventually!

That's Easy!

(These instructions are for LW 8.5 and earlier. I think you can still use them in LW 9, although I understand that the surfaces are different, for some weird reason. I don't know why, I always liked the LW surface handler better than any of the others I've ever used.)

In either Modeler or Layout;



You can use .tga files, .psd files (with their layers still intact,) or several other file types.

If you want to see clothing layers, for instance the effect of a shirt on an undershirt, you can do that, too.

In Layout:



While we're at it, assuming that you need to tweak the layered .psd file you're using, just open it and do so in Photoshop. Then, to reload it into LW,



You might not see the Alpha channel displayed properly after you do this, until you Render (F9) to force it to redraw.

Hope this helps!

thank you so much, Robin. it works perfectly! i am excited about trying all the textures i have made now. you rock.

You are most welcome, Charlotte.

Charlotte asked me in PM what to do about the overlapping maps that Baking creates. I decided to answer here, since the answer might help more than one person.

For the answer to the question, see Joannah's post, below.

(See, this is why questions should be asked here, not in PM! Sometimes, someone else has a much better answer. )

There's actually quite a simpler way to bake surfaces without them all getting into single map ^^;;

* load your AV object into Layout
* open Surface Editor
* click on any of three listed surfaces
* click on Shaders tab, add Surface Baker from drop-down plugin list
* double-click Surface Baker to open its settings, uncheck 'bake entire object' switch, select the only available UV map from the drop-down UV map list, enter output image name in the field below, optionally check 'shading noise reduction' and 'antialiasing' switches for better end effect.
* apply Surface Baker plugin to the other two surfaces in identical manner
* render (just hit f9 for test render... make sure your camera and object are arranged so camera can 'see' whole object, so that all surfaces are rendered)

you'll find the baker setup this way creates separate image for each surface it's applied to, rather than for entire object at once ^^;

Thanks, Joannah!

I completely forgot about not baking the entire object. Duh!

(Smacks self on forehead.)

thanks both of you for all your help. i am sure this info is useful to many!