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Blender

Discussion in 'Scripting' started by AlbertoT, May 1, 2009.

  1. AlbertoT

    AlbertoT

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2009
    Posts:
    159
    Hello

    I have been using Unity for some weeks and I am very happy but there is a problem

    I use Fragmotion \ MilkShape which do not export file formats supported by Unity ,thus I must use an FBX converter

    There are many FBX converters , the point is that they are not reliable

    The only alternative a part from expensive packages is Blender

    I tried to stay away from such " user enemy " as long as I could but I dont have any other choice, now

    Can I , at least , be confident that Unity can import animated blender file format without any problem ?

    Thanks in advance

    P.S.

    Why doesnt Unity support also .ms3d, maybe with some limitation
    A unity expert programmer can code an importer for such a simple file format in one day :)
     
  2. nickavv

    nickavv

    Joined:
    Aug 2, 2006
    Posts:
    1,801
    Blender is fully compatible with Unity, no worries there. It's also pretty easy and very powerful when you get to know it, so go ahead and try it. Also, blender 2.5 supposedly will fix the issues that make the interface unintuitive.
     
  3. bigkahuna

    bigkahuna

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2006
    Posts:
    5,434
    Let me elaborate a bit:

    Yes, Blender works seamlessly with Unity. You can drop a Blender .blend file into your Unity Assets folder and Unity will automatically import it so you can use it right away. You can double click on the file in Unity, launching Blender to edit the model and when you save it and go back to Unity, Unity will automatically import the updated file.

    Skinned mesh animations (using bones and actions) in Blender will import into Unity, but object animations (rotating, scaling, moving whole objects) will not. To animate objects you'll need to do this through code, use Unity 2.1, or wait for Unity 2.6 which will have an updated animation editor.

    There are certain practices in Blender that will make using it with Unity easier. Take a look at some of the recent posts on Blender for further guidance.

    There's really nothing wrong with the Blender UI, it's just a matter of adapting to something new (something some people are resistant to). Blender's next major update, version 2.5, will include some major revamping to the UI but overall the UI will look very similar to what it looks like now. On the subject of how Blender "looks", its GUI is probably the most flexible and configurable of any I've used. You can change hotkeys, color schemes, add any number of window schemes of any number and shape you wish, etc. etc. etc.

    Another option since you have Fragmotion already, is to get a copy of "Ultimate Unwrap 3D". UU3D will import export .X files from Fragmotion and then import / export them to .FBX for Unity (at least I think it will, I haven't used these in a long while).
     
  4. GusM

    GusM

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2005
    Posts:
    585
    You can actually export object animations from Blender too. Only they must be explicity exported as a fbx file. Use the NLA window to keyframe the object desired transformations, and then export as fbx with the needed options.
     
  5. bigkahuna

    bigkahuna

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2006
    Posts:
    5,434
    Huh? I'll have to give this a try. Why would you need to explicitly export as a .FBX when all Unity is doing is the same thing in the background? Interesting...
     
  6. bigkahuna

    bigkahuna

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2006
    Posts:
    5,434
    Well I'll be... Gus, you da man! :) Attached is a simple test of an animated cube in Blender and exported to a .FBX using the default settings. I included both the .blend and .fbx so anyone who wants to test it can. It imported into Unity, animation and all, just fine. Thanks Gus, you saved me all sorts of headaches! :)
     

    Attached Files:

  7. GusM

    GusM

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2005
    Posts:
    585
    No problem, I am glad if it helps.
     
  8. Matroblend

    Matroblend

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2009
    Posts:
    134
    Hey thanks guys, I'm working on SmartFox stuff atm but this is really useful.

    Filed for later use :D :D :D
     
  9. Jack-Trades

    Jack-Trades

    Joined:
    Apr 5, 2009
    Posts:
    107
    I love Blender, best 3D software out there, i've tried both Maya (Menu nightmares) and 3DMax (same here) and the Blender got best UI.
     
  10. Dexter

    Dexter

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2009
    Posts:
    104
    I agree Blender rocks a lot :)

    Complete, powerfull and : It's FREE :)