How Do I Import OBJ Models And Preserve Named Objects?

ColinK

I created in RHINO 3D a simple room with doors, windows, floor, ceiling and fluorescent lighting fixtures.

I named each of the discrete objects, so there is a Door_1 and Door_2, etc.

I exported the model to OBJ file format and imported that into DAZ Studio.

When I exported out of RHINO I did choose the option to Export Object Names.

DAZ assigns generic names to all the objects so they are all now material_1, material_2, etc.

How do I preserve the object names I created in RHINO?

Richard Haseltine

Are those the objects or the surfaces? Or did you not assign surfaces in Rhino? If you simply import an OBJ into DS the groups will not appear as separate items - to get those you need to make it a figure by importing intro the Figure Setup pane (right-click in the left-hand area), then drag into the Relationships area, arrange the hierarchy and create the figure using the button at bottom-right, then rig it using the Joint and Geomrtry Editor tools and the Node Weight Map Brush tool (actually you can probably, for a room, just right-click with the latter and use the fill selection groups option - though for moving parts you will need tos et the centre points).

ColinK

Wow!  Thanks for all that detail, Richard--it's exactly what I need.

Mostly what I'm talking about are surfaces, although a few things like door handles are closed objects.

When you say "assign surfaces in Rhino" do you mean assign a unique name to each unique surface in Rhino?  

I did that, and was careful NOT to create any groups--groups wipe out individual surface names and replace them with the group name.

Is there a tutorial, or several tutorials somewhere that would cover all this?

Otherwise, it seems like I'd need to read the Studio manual from cover to cover searching for these steps. 

For example "set the centre points" seems like something I bet I want to do for door hinge axes.

I will start mining all the useful terms and suggestions you provided and see what I can do with them.

Richard Haseltine

Well, what I was addressing was making items separately movable - having doors that open or handles that twist. If all you want it the surface names then that sounds like an issue with the way Rhino writes the OBJ file. If it's only the names that are bad you can use the Geometry Edit tool - select your item, switch to the Geometry Editor tool from the Tools menu and open the Tool Settings pane; you should see a list of surfaces in the pane, click the + next to one to see which parts of the emsh highlight and once you know what it is double-click the name and enter a new name instead.

ColinK

Yes, I'm hoping to manage the door opening trick next.  

Your suggestion regarding the Geometry Editor enabled me to name and work with the individual surfaces.

I'd still like to figure out how to import the named objects/surfaces like SmRmWall_01 and SmRmWindowPane_01 that I create and name in RHINO 3D.

When I import the Small Room set into the Figure Setup Geometry Pane the only object I get is Small Room.

It takes fishing around in the Surfaces or Edit Geometry tools to find the individual component pieces, all of which have been renamed to Material2, Material 31, etc.

Frustrating.

 

 

 

Richard Haseltine

So let me ask again - are you wanting objects, materials or both? Both are tags assigned in the OBJ file - group lines start g, surface lines start usemtl as I recall. From what you said earlier it sounds as if getting both from Rhino is a problem. You might look to see if another application can import native Rhino files and export more helpful OBJ files for DS: if not you may need to break the surfaces down so that each surface is split (if need be) into one surface for each of the different groups it crosses, then in DS use the Tool Settings pane to select all the Surfaces that contribute to a single group, right-click, Geometry Assignment>Create group from Selected; then separately select all the separate surfaces that should really be a single surface, right click, Geometry Assignment, and assign them to the single surface that should contain them.

ColinK

Snicker.  You're asking a wannabe artist if he wants either or both?  Both, of course, except when either is better.

I bet I don't know enough to answer your question properly, but I someday hope to know more.

I can look at products I've purchased from DAZ and see that my product is not yet similar to their product.

I see what appear to be bones definitions that provide structure and hierarchy for rooms, lamps, furniture, rugs, doors, etc.

Thus far, I have not been able to import the lamps, rugs and doors objects that are arranged into these hierarchies.

I have access to BLENDER, of course, so I will try dropping an AUTOCAD format architecture model file out of RHINO to import into BLENDER, then see what I can export from BLENDER to DAZ.

Meanwhile, I will root around the RHINO 3D website to see what they can tell me about their OBJ export tool.

Thanks again for your patience and suggestions.

My progress is slow, but steady.

 

ColinK

Well, this is frustrating.  

I see that the RHINO 3D v5 export tools have MUCH more OBJ support than the RHINO 3D v4 that I currently own.

I'm not ready to spend that kind of money to upgrade for a better OBJ export out of RHINO.

BLENDER was equally disappointing -- the OBJ file it drops is also not giving me individual rug, door, knob and other discrete objects to stick into a bones hierarchy.

It seems likely I am somehow failing to understand something important about working in the DAZ Studio Figure Setup and Edit Geometry tools.

I will do some more research on that.  

I've already found at the DAZ online store a few purchasable tutorials for exporting and importing with DAZ Studio.

Maybe what I want will be in one of those.