Blender to Daz Studio (not the other way around)
Jack of Spades
Posts: 80
So I have a very simple object I'm trying to rig for Daz Studio. Basically just a hinge. I've created it in Blender. Assigned vertex groups to the two parts. Exported it to OBJ with the settings in the screen shot: Selection Only, Objects as OBJ Objects, Apply Modifiers, Write Normals, Include UVs, Write Materials, Polygroups, and Keep Vertex Order are checked, other options are not.
When I import the geometry to Daz Studio's Figure Setup tab, I have no vertex groups -- just a (null) group.
I've been banging my head on this for weeks. Help, please!
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It certainly should work. Perhaps a look at your OBJ Import settings when you are adding the geometry to Figure Setup, at what you are seeing in Figure Setup after adding the geometry, and at what the Geometry Editor looks like for you would help.
A couple of points I have noted before that can cause issues. The vertex groups in Blender must not overlap - Blender is OK with that, but DS gets confused; also, make sure the Read Groups option is checked when you are importing into DS.
Thanks for jumping in. Here's the import settings I'm using, what I get in the figure editor, and what the geometry editor shows after I create the figure anyway.
Also, I re-imported the OBJ back into Blender to confirm that the groups are getting written out; they are there. I also re-confirmed that there is no overlap between vertex groups.
I can't get it to fail like that yet. The only thing I did not have in my first test which you do have is Surfaces in DS, presumably because you have materials assigned to the model in Blender. So I defined some materials (that don't coincide with the vertex groups) but it still works: I get the surfaces as well as the face groups (though the shaders on the surfaces are incorrect).
Perhaps someone else can suggest another possible cause, but at this point I'm reduced to asking what versions of Blender and DS you are using, and which OS? Could you share the .blend file, or the OBJ file, without breaching copyrights?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=480&v=vNFHv8K8qKg
Have a look at this vid; I've refreshed myself of the process whenever I've wanted to rig; make sure you pay attention about creating the required vertix groups.
Of the 7,000 or so views that video has, I'm about 3,000 of them. : ) No joy.
I just tried importing the OBJ into Blender 2.79 and re-exporting it. The groups show up with that. So either 2.79 is doing something different or I've got a setting wrong in 2.83.
I'm on DAZ Studio 2.12.1.118 and Blender 2.83.4 on 64-bit Windows, but I'm seeing the same problem on macOS 10.15.5. (I quit using the Mac for Daz because of the Apple/Nvidia feud.)
The blend file is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o0n5hex1os6dd00/Terran scanner.blend?dl=0 (I don't seem to be able to attach it or the OBJ to the post.)
Well, Daz Studio doesn't seem to like/understand the results of applying the Edge Split modifier. When I uncheck 'Apply Modifiers when exporting from Blender (2.83.3) since that's the only modifier on the two objects in the scene, the vertex groups are honored when adding the geometry in Figure Setup. The corresponding bones are created but orientation and the weight mapping needs updating. There may be some shading issues in DS as a result, but you could just split the edges manually in Blender.
BTW, the Blender 2.83 manual says the Edge Split modifier is really only still around for backwards compatibility and recommends other methods of achieving the same results. I wasn't aware of that as I can't remember ever using it myself. I appreciate it may not be you that added that modifier.
Thank you so much! That does indeed appear to be the problem. If I apply all the modifiers (including Edge Split) before exporting, it works for me. Edge Split has been a part of my workflow for years, so I may be the kind of "backwards compatibility" they're talking about, but whatever, I have my lame little scanner now.
Very much appreciate the help.
Edge split is most useful for low poly models used in games, that is now replaced by custom normals. As for sds models for animation it is always better to use some extra loops rather than splitting edges. This avoids most non-manifold geometry that may cause artifacts in many ways.
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/modeling/modifiers/generate/edge_split.html
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/glossary/index.html#term-non-manifold
A modifier only works in Blender, it is a tool specific to blender. It's like exporting a photoshop file with layers and putting it on a website, it wouldn't display because it can only open in programs that support psd files. But if you flatten the layers, export as jpg , it can work everywhere.
I have the same issue, the import is one solid piece; I can not select the 'door' to rigg it. I have tried selecting and deselecting many options in blender export of the obj file.
help would be appreciated
You need to define vertex groups in Blender for the door and the wall, then check the Polygroups option when exporting the OBJ. Daz Studio should then create corresponding Face Groups when you add the geometry in Figure Setup and create bones for each Face Group.
tried vertex group(s) no good[did find out that how you get there determines if you get the assign, select, deselect, ...etc options].
tried importing, still one solid mass.
tried importing by youtube -figure setup- no go, no bone.
a lot of youtube about vertex group(s), but because they know about them they skip basic info.
the zip should contain: a people for ref, a wall, and the wall with the door.
youtube ****Archipack*** going to have to learn more about Archipack, BUT will blender and daz3d export and import the obj file(s) so things can be rigged?
The OBJ attached to your post above has no vertex groups when I import it into Blender 2.83.3. If you upload another file with vertex groups defined, I'll have a look. The assign, select, deselect ... options for vertex groups are available only in edit mode because that's when you can select the verts you want to assign to the groups.
Daz Studio creates one object from the OBJ file on import, however many objects you export.
I did not see any people in the OBJ file, only one wall with a door in it. The wall and door are two separate objects. Neither had any vertex groups defined as far as I could see. You could simplify the situation by joining the two objects into one, so you have one object with two distinct meshes.