Nothing exports

For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

Comments

  • krickerd said:

    For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

    I heard a lot of this is more frequently happening on Windows

    on Mac it crashes when I exit Hexagon (doesn't bother me as much)

    but in general I found the old Hexagon version is a bit more reliable, if you have the old version I would use it

  • cdordonicdordoni Posts: 583
    edited May 2018
    krickerd said:

    For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

    If you are using Dynamic Geometry, save a copy of your Hexagon file and collapse the dynamic geometry on the object(s). Click the lightning bolt symbol next to the object in the list (see pic). Then try saving an obj.

    dynamic geometry markup.png
    1093 x 1080 - 134K
    Post edited by cdordoni on
  • richmcleanrichmclean Posts: 79

    Hi @krickerd, I bet you are right about the boolean ops causing issues.  I never have issues with exporting obj files and I never use boolean ops (except in ZBrush).  I also have dynamic geometry turned off so hopefully @cdordoni will help if you continue using boolean ops.

    I am finding the latest version of Hexagon to be pretty stable.  I go for days without a crash (hopefully I did not just jinx myself).

    Good luck.

  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183
    cdordoni said:
    krickerd said:

    For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

    If you are using Dynamic Geometry, save a copy of your Hexagon file and collapse the dynamic geometry on the object(s). Click the lightning bolt symbol next to the object in the list (see pic). Then try saving an obj.

    Doesn't apply.  It's already collapsed.

  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183

    Hi @krickerd, I bet you are right about the boolean ops causing issues.  I never have issues with exporting obj files and I never use boolean ops (except in ZBrush).  I also have dynamic geometry turned off so hopefully @cdordoni will help if you continue using boolean ops.

    I am finding the latest version of Hexagon to be pretty stable.  I go for days without a crash (hopefully I did not just jinx myself).

    Good luck.

    How do you create a section (face) within a face?  Say I want to indent a circle shape in the top of a drum (another circle shape)?  The only way I can think of is to boolean it.  However this causes a few issues.  If the object is an extrusion, the circle gets slightly distorted.  The way to fix this in Cararra was to edge around certain faces and the distortions would go away.  I did this awhile back when creating a hammer head using a boolean union.  It worked well.  I imported a mesh into DS and checked it out and it was a solid, distortion free design.  That doesn't seem to be the case with Hexagon, at least with a simple drum model I was working on.  And then there is the no can export issue.  It seems to me booleans are OUT with hexagon.  Makes me wonder what else is out.

  • richmcleanrichmclean Posts: 79
    edited May 2018

    @krickerd, here are a couple of screenshots showing a way to handle those scenarios.  These are done using extrudes (edge and poly), edge tools, and the bridge tool.  It is important to make sure to build things using QUADs and use TRIs where needed to step down or up in geometry count.

     

     

    circleInCircle.jpg
    347 x 412 - 57K
    circleInSquare.jpg
    393 x 459 - 58K
    Post edited by richmclean on
  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183

    Confirmed.  NO booleans will export OBJ on latest release or public.  Why include tools  that don't work on export?  Hexagon is not a stand alone program in the same vein as Cinama 4D or something.  People expect to export OBJ typically.

  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183

    @krickerd, here are a couple of screenshots showing a way to handle those scenarios.  These are done using extrudes (edge and poly), edge tools, and the bridge tool.  It is important to make sure to build things using QUADs and use TRIs where needed to step down or up in geometry count.

     

     

    How did you create the new circle section in the cube?  I can see how the cylinder was done, by continuting the extrusion.  I was trying to make indentations like the dents around the caps here: 

     

    55 Gal Drum Top Small.jpg
    1202 x 801 - 117K
  • ShawnDriscollShawnDriscoll Posts: 375
    krickerd said:

    For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

    Show a screenshot of your model's mesh. That will tell us why OBJ is not working.

  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,838
    krickerd said:

    How did you create the new circle section in the cube?  I can see how the cylinder was done, by continuting the extrusion.  I was trying to make indentations like the dents around the caps here: 

     

    By making the circle/cylinder separately and bridging it to the cube. Simples.

  • richmcleanrichmclean Posts: 79

    @krickerd, I have attached a pdf doc showing a method to accomplish a circle in a square.   As @Ascania comment shows, there are different ways to accomplish the same task and it is important to work out what works best for you (and Hexagon).  

    FYI....looking at the metal drum, I would model the two caps as seperate groups so they would not be part of the drum.  Segmenting a model makes it easier to model and UV map.  I probably need a few metal drums so if you still have questions, let me know and I will model one and share it.

    pdf
    pdf
    Hexagon_CircleInSquare.pdf
    322K
  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183
    krickerd said:

    For the life of me I don't know how you guys get much of ANYTHING to export OBJ.  It crashes with damn near ANYTHING I try to export.  Perhaps it's boolean ops.  I don't know.  Even if it looks like they worked (no distortions)  props and groups don't export.  If I'm going to attempt modeling I guess I'm going to have to spend some $ on something that actually works.  Crashes are the reason I gave up on hexagon before.  I see not much has changed.

    Show a screenshot of your model's mesh. That will tell us why OBJ is not working.

    It doesn't work because of booleans.  NO cut boolean objects can be exported.  None. Zero.  Try it.  Make a cube prim and a cylinder prim.  Subtract cyl from cube and try to export the result as an obj.  

  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183

    @krickerd, I have attached a pdf doc showing a method to accomplish a circle in a square.   As @Ascania comment shows, there are different ways to accomplish the same task and it is important to work out what works best for you (and Hexagon).  

    FYI....looking at the metal drum, I would model the two caps as seperate groups so they would not be part of the drum.  Segmenting a model makes it easier to model and UV map.  I probably need a few metal drums so if you still have questions, let me know and I will model one and share it.

    That makes sense.  How would you make those 2 DENTS in the top?  Boolean would be the easiet way.  Wait, no, can't export that.  Bet I could do it in Cararra.  I should try it, though it might distort the top face.

  • ShawnDriscollShawnDriscoll Posts: 375
    edited May 2018
    krickerd said:

    It doesn't work because of booleans.  NO cut boolean objects can be exported.  None. Zero.  Try it.  Make a cube prim and a cylinder prim.  Subtract cyl from cube and try to export the result as an obj.  

    No problems on my end, other than some n-gons. No crashes. The OBJ imported fine into Carrara. Running on Windows 10 64-bit Pro.

    Post edited by ShawnDriscoll on
  • krickerdkrickerd Posts: 183
    edited May 2018
    krickerd said:

    It doesn't work because of booleans.  NO cut boolean objects can be exported.  None. Zero.  Try it.  Make a cube prim and a cylinder prim.  Subtract cyl from cube and try to export the result as an obj.  

    No problems on my end, other than some n-gons. No crashes. The OBJ imported fine into Carrara. Running on Windows 10 64-bit Pro.

    Really?  I'm running Win 10 64 Home.

    Post edited by krickerd on
  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,838
    krickerd said:

    @krickerd, I have attached a pdf doc showing a method to accomplish a circle in a square.   As @Ascania comment shows, there are different ways to accomplish the same task and it is important to work out what works best for you (and Hexagon).  

    FYI....looking at the metal drum, I would model the two caps as seperate groups so they would not be part of the drum.  Segmenting a model makes it easier to model and UV map.  I probably need a few metal drums so if you still have questions, let me know and I will model one and share it.

    That makes sense.  How would you make those 2 DENTS in the top?  Boolean would be the easiet way.  Wait, no, can't export that.  Bet I could do it in Cararra.  I should try it, though it might distort the top face.

    No, it would not be easiest. And if you look closely at your own photograph you will notice that the bungholes sit on octagonal bases, which make modeling those areas rather simple.

  • I have exactly the same problem.

    Did you found the solution ?

    Impossible to save at obj after booleen operation. It create a temp save file and Hexagon crashed ! :(

     

  • AscaniaAscania Posts: 1,838

    I have exactly the same problem.

    Did you found the solution ?

    Impossible to save at obj after booleen operation. It create a temp save file and Hexagon crashed ! :(

     

    Solution: Don't use Boolean.

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