Textures on Blender not showing in .ac file

[Zequinha]

I'm curious, did you ever try to add the .ac to the .stg file and try it in flight gear? How many times did you actually try to export and them import the .ac back into Blender?
Once you import the .ac file into Blender, did you ever try in the Blender texture tab to simple reestablish the connection to the texture by doing a file open and pointing at the texture location on your drive? Then check and see if it is still mapped correctly.

I tried, using the UFO. No textures in FlightGear either.

[Zequinha]

But do notice: AC3D only support 1 texture per object. And I noticed you had an object with 2 materials where 1 had texture, and the other did not. Know that when you export, the texture will be applied to both materials (when used in that object), due to that limitation. Best is to avoid using 2 materials in same object if one or more of them should have a texture.

When you say you could see the textures in the ac. file building you could only see the front windows?

The building has two objects: the main body (cube.001) and the 'hat' (cube.002) on the top. Since the building is meant to look like this:



To create this building would you recommend the following procedure:

Put the three textures in a single .png file. Then use a single material with this texture and assign it to all faces of the main body (cube.001). Then for each face of the main body (cube.001) do appropriate UV mapping.

[Necolatis]

I just took a closer look, there is front windows where there should be side windows.

Yes, that's one way to do it, but only if you need same lightning settings in all of cube.001. Else you can do almost the same: 1 big texture with all windows still, but use it in 2 diff. materials, applied to respective faces in cube.001.
Or split the object up, and keep your textures as they are now.

Side-note: I also recommend you use the button "smooth" on at least Cube.002, its supposed to be smooth, right?

One more thing: When you export, make sure you export in "Object mode", not in "Edit mode". Else you might get an undefined output, at very least not containing your last changes.

[Zequinha]

Or split the object up, and keep your textures as they are now.

That should be the easiest way? Does it not reduce efficiency? If yes, is it something to avoid?

Also about the 'hat' cube.002 has got a lot of points. Is there a way of reducing/unifying these points to decrease graphic burden? Will the smooth command do just that?

[Catalanoic]

Opinion: the object itself looks really nice modeled with some complexity. These textures are low-res, as a lesson, you can do a bigger texture with these files (but be care of the resolution, 128p to 512p is OKish for a high resolution texture of a big building) and UV-map the object with some tiling, clean object groups (joining) if not in use, delete unseen faces and backfaces (i.e. people do ground faces sometimes and double faces for a facade, aren't needed except you need to show something), if the building is important, big or visible then try to do night texture embedded on main texture (look on the wiki for more info)., maybe there're more tips to gain efficiency, check wiki and forum.
asking to your last question, yes the efficiency is an important factor, because reducing file loads from the same object will have potential graphic save, really appreciated to gain better performance, but isn't the easiest and fastest way to texturize, you need to balance it. i do most texturing in AC3D because its a fast tool on that task (no care if the object was produced before from Blender, sketchup, ac3d, wings3d...) but in Blender works too if you know how to do it, there're plenty of tutorials on the net.

[Necolatis]

Will the smooth command do just that?

The smooth just make a clunky surface of faces show as if its smooth, and made of more faces than it really is. (when you look at the surface. When you look at the outlines you still see the clunkyness)
If that makes sense..

[Zequinha]

I don't think I can texturize onto .ac folks. I really enjoy modelling 3D buildings with blender and texturizing them to some degree, but I am a complete disaster at texturizing for .ac file export. I just don't have the work flow and state of mind to do it.

So...if you would like to fly to lisbon and find the oriente towers http://www.afaconsult.com/uploads/images/Gallery/portfolio/0754/0754-01-06-0003-001.jpg...
...all I can do is to ask kindly if any of you guys is interested in burning the textures of this .blend to an .ac file? If so please commit your .ac file and .blend to https://github.com/crazyBaboon/FlightGe ... -S.Gabriel.

Due credit will be given in the FlightGear database submission and in the aforementioned Github repository. If anyone wants to or can help, you are very welcome!

I also recommend you use the button "smooth" on at least Cube.002, its supposed to be smooth, right?

Thanks for the tip, I have done so in the github rep.

[Catalanoic]

i can do it in 5 min, but important would be if you learn how to it for yourself as you lead interest on it, isn't hard to achieve, knowing where you're stuck then we can help. you can texturize from that blend file in Blender or from the ac file on other texturisation software, where you are better. you can try with simplier objects, like a cube, each different face with the same texture applied to understand how to texturize, maybe a video would be better than words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpyjqaiE0HI

[Zequinha]

i can do it in 5 min

Please do so, your help would be welcome.

I get more and more frustrated trying to figure out which button click on blender i missed... I am supposed to enjoy modelling not hate it. What's worse is that the model is done, the textures were created using GIMP from real photos that I took on the site, the textures were applied correctly to each face of the building and after all that work, the .ac export gets everything stuck.

I have followed the tutorial completely https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URMjoFSm5pk and I feel like not only I am wasting my time (I really should not bother with textures as many authors on the FG database don't even bother texturizing their models) but also getting strong headaches. I would much prefer, however, to submit a textured version of this building as untextured work is not astheatically pleasing IMO.

So if this takes you only 5 min, great!! Go on, do it on github and I will happily accept your submission. After all, we both contribute to the simulator that way. Please bear in mind that the building in the .blend file is textured like this:



All i need is for someone to burn the already textured blender model into .ac format.

but important would be if you learn how to it for yourself

If you feel that you shouldn't help directly and that I should bang my head on the desk 26 times before I reallize what is wrong with the bloody .ac export, that is a valid opinion, that's ok too!

[VicMar]

@ Zequinha:

Blender is a very involved system to learn and is probably too complex for simple scenery buildings.

I suggest you download and use SketchUp. The 'Make' version is free to use after the 30 day trial and it is adequate for airport buildings etc.

Its easy to learn and easy to texture with. We have step by step wikis on how it's done too.

Cheers,

Vic

[Zequinha]

@ Zequinha:

Blender is a very involved system to learn and is probably too complex for simple scenery buildings.

I suggest you download and use SketchUp.

Vic

Hi VicMar, thanks for the suggestion (in my GNU system is not so easy to set up sketchup - i might try WINE if i get desperate). However, to make it absolutely clear:

Blender itself is not the issue!

The .blend model is ready and textured. It is ready for submission.

The issue is only with the conversion to .ac file format that is preventing submission to the FG database.

[Catalanoic]

i took a look at your .ac file and shows perfect and textured to me, just need to join all 4 textures to a single one and remove ground faces, that would be optimal! i can do a version with all that i've mentioned and submit to TS under your name if you want.

[Isi_C]

It would be useful to know what script version each person replying has been using, and with which version of Blender. I've been doing models for a while now and mostly without problems, but having read this thread decided to try the 'latest' scripts. I always use the most recent stable version of Blender so currently on 2.78c. I was surprised therefore to find that the latest scripts didn't produce the same output as my version 2.0 had.

I believe that since FG v2 ambient values for each material should be the same as their RGB values, but a test cube that I exported gave the following result with versions 2.1 and 2.19:

AC3Db
MATERIAL "Blender Default Material" rgb 0.640 0.640 0.640 amb 1.000 1.000 1.000 emis 0.000 0.000 0.000 spec 0.500 0.500 0.500 shi 12 trans 0.000
MATERIAL "My Green" rgb 0.122 0.640 0.236 amb 1.000 1.000 1.000 emis 0.000 0.000 0.000 spec 0.500 0.500 0.500 shi 12 trans 0.000
MATERIAL "My Texture Base" rgb 0.800 0.800 0.800 amb 1.000 1.000 1.000 emis 0.000 0.000 0.000 spec 0.500 0.500 0.500 shi 12 trans 0.000
OBJECT world
name "Blender_exporter_v2.19__TestCube.ac"
kids 1
OBJECT poly
name "Cube" ....

No problem with texture - it rendered fine. Sorry if this deviates slightly and doesn't help sort out the problem. So, I'm back to script v2.0.

[Necolatis]

I believe that since FG v2 ambient values for each material should be the same as their RGB values, but a test cube that I exported gave the following result with versions 2.1 and 2.19

Ambient should be whatever you set it to in Blender. If you want to set it to the RGB values, then do so before you export.

Although I do maintain the scripts primary for Flightgear, its also just a generic Blender to AC3D export/import scripts and might be used by people not associated by FG.
I will not change the scripts to force that all the time. Besides, maybe not all FG modelers agree with you that ambient should be same as the diffuse.

If people really want it, I could make an option for it though.

[Necolatis]

Another notice: When you do not use ALS or Rembrandt, but does have model-shader on, that model shader will ignore your ambient setting anyway if I remember correctly.