How to use Blender to make SWBF series models (FAQ)

[Jaspo]

First of all I want to say a big thank you to mswf for allowing me to not be the only one in the universe who knows how to do this and for offering explanations when I'm not available. However, there is one important point that I believe was overlooked until today, an issue with the SWBFviewer:

There's an odd quirk with the viewer that keeps the model from loading if you try to double click the file to open it. Instead, you have to open the mesh viewer, then grab the file and drag it into the blue part. Very odd, yes.

Also, I'd love to be more helpful, but since college ended in '09 I haven't had my own internet connection, so I can't really make use of my xfire account and the like.

[Surma]

@Jaspo
THANK YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Now it produces these two popups:

[lucasfart]

Did you make sure you exported with the right version of vrml? Its saying that the file type is wrong (obviously). What export options did you choose/what format?

[Surma]

I used the one that was first in the list.

I realised now that there is two alternatives in the export list, VRML 1.0 and VRML97. The 97 one did work and i have successfully loaded the model into the viewer and can see it, however it is white.

Yes, i have checked, double-checked, triple-checked, overchecked and checktaculared the texface button. It is quite pressed. However, whenever i open the .blend file the model is pink, a colour quite different from my texture. That much i can guarantee. It is unwrapped and all, but it seems as if it cannot locate the texture file, no matter how many times i specify its location (same folder as the .wrl file).

[CressAlbane]

So did you
1) UVMap the texture on
2)click "Texface" for EACH MATERIAL
3)Export VRML 97?

Did you do this?

first create a texture for the object (go to the texture tab and there will be a place to add a new texture) and then create a material to apply to the texture (similar to creating a new texture, but in the material tab) and then for this material make sure the texface button is pressed.

[Surma]

Do i really need to make a new material? Cant i just use the default one?

[CressAlbane]

If the default material isnt working then maybe you should make a new one?

[Jaspo]

I have just submitted a video/audio tutorial to SWBF Files (filefront) so that should be available for download within the week. 200 mb, but worth the download, as it covers the process from blender startup to uv map to export to conversion in the msh viewer.

As you will see from the tutorial, blender should start out with a blank material and a blank texture for that material, and you should be able to just click the texface button and have everything work wonderfully. But, I have had some problems with it in the past.

I am in fact familiar with the pink issue. This means that blender has somehow lost its link to the necessary texture. If you moved the texture to a new directory after using it in Blender, this will happen. Also, its possible that blender sometimes loses the connection somehow. At any rate, you'll need to reapply the texture.
perhaps one thing I haven't covered sufficiently is the finer details regarding selection and uv mapping.
obviously, you must be in edit mode to uv map the object, as this option isn't in the menu in object mode.
but then, after you have UV mapped it, it is blank, untextured, bland, meh. This is because you haven't loaded a material to be mapped to the object. you do this in the UV mapping window, but perhaps you've tried opening an image file to use as a texture, and nothing seems to happen. Two things to check: 1. there's the Draw Type tab -- if this isn't set to "textured" you won't be able to see the texture in the 3D view. 2. (And most importantly) before you load up a texture in the UV mapping window you must select either the whole object (so all the edges and verticies turn yellow and all the faces turn light purple) or whatever parts of the object you want to have that particular texture. If nothing is selected nothing will recieve the texture. When you have selected one or more faces of the object they will also appear in the uv mapping window as a polygon indicating thier shape in relation to the texture. Note that you can then select or deselect verticies in the uv mapping window and move them around as needed to tweak the way the texture is placed on the object.

One other thing to try, if you can't seem to get that texture to stick: select everything, then go down into the buttons window, open the shading tab, select the materials tab, where it says "link to object" click the browser arrow thing on the left so that the list of present materials pops up, and click on one (assumably there is only one, but if not, make sure you click on one that has texface selected) This should apply that specific material to the entire object, so that the material's texface property will cause the object to use the uv map as its texture.

[lucasfart]

Just like to say thanks Jaspo. You've done so much on this site to make modelling in blender easier, and it can be a real help sometimes. Keep up the good work!

[Jaspo]

Thank you!

[Surma]

Agh! Now, with a brand-new model i get OutOfBoundsException. I tried scaling down to a pathetic size and it didnt change anything. And with barely 200 polys i doubt its the file size. What could cause this error?

[CressAlbane]

That used to happen to me - something went wrong with export. I think you have to make a new model.

[Jaspo]

Not sure what the specific cause for that is, but it is much more likely to happen when there is something physically incorrect with the model--in other words, if it were a real-life object, it would be an impossible shape--
faces intersecting each other/inside of each other, twisted inside out, that sort of thing. Also you should make sure that none of the faces have more than 4 sides, and for best results, convert the mesh to triangles (there is a menu option to do this in edit mode). I recommend doing a test export of the box that you start with (after uv mapping it, of course) just to make sure you are doing the whole process right, and then move on to modeling.

[Wonderboy]

I am making a house with Blender and have a question about using it. How do I connect the selected vertices with the edge? Normally I would have to extrude the vertice over and over again.

It's a bad view, but the vertices aren't connected with the edge. I have two edges along the axis at the same spot.

[DarthD.U.C.K.]

maybe you should have made a seperate thread for that but anyway,

there should be an option/tool like weld/merge berticles/edges which can connect disconnected edges and verticles

[mswf]

Use the snap tool, turn it on by clicking on the little magnet button in the 3d viewport. Extrude the vertices (the same ones that you selected in the picture), hold ctrl and mouse over one of the higher places on your roof.

You might want to change the way you made that model, though I don't know what your thought behind this is.

[lucasfart]

You might want to change the way you made that model, though I don't know what your thought behind this is.

Yeah. Why're you making so many useless vertices on the flat walls and roof? Unless you're planning on extruding them randomly it seems pretty pointless..

[Wonderboy]

Yeah I made the initial shape with the extruded cubes when I started learning Blender and never got around to making a new house.

[Surma]

If you want them gone its alt+m. This merges them (puts together all the selected verticies into one). Depending on if you box selected or click selected you will have different options, like at center, at first and at last. You can also use this to clean up the mesh if you have duplicates (can sometimes happen). Go to wireframe mode (either the dropdown menu or z) and box select, merge at center.

I recommend The Blender wikibook and The Blender Newbies Forum for answers to future questions.

[lucasfart]

Just a quick and hopefully simple to answer question; how would i go about making my texture tile onto a model? I have the texture ready to use but i'm not sure how to tile it multiple times across a face. Help would be appreciated.