Mesh Converter¶

In this tutorial, you will learn how to import your assets to Ürban PAD using Mesh Converter. Converting and importing your assets allows you to use your own resource library to create templates in Ürban PAD’s template Editors.

The tutorial is organized into two sections:

Pipelines: procedures for importing assets created with specific software or in a specific file format
Using Mesh Converter

Mesh Converter is included with all trial versions of Ürban PAD. Get download links to the trial version by:

Requesting a trial version on the Gamr7 website

The current version is Mesh Converter 1.3.16 (June 2010).

Run the Mesh Converter software once you have finished downloading. If you chose standard setup parameters, you will find it at following path:

standard program pathGamr7MeshConverter where standard program path** is **C:Program Files.

The Mesh Converter will open with a black command window in the background.

Pipelines¶

Converting Assets Created in 3dsmax¶

.Fbx and .max Files¶

Converting .fbx and .max files from 3dsmax requires first converting the .fbx or .max file into Collada’s .dae format. Follow the tutorial below to convert your .fbx and .max meshes.

We recommend saving your 3dsmax assets in .max format.

3dsmax Tutorial Resources¶

This list includes download links to the plugin referenced in this section. Two .fbx and two .max test meshes are also provided:

Converting Individual .max Meshes¶

Before using Mesh Converter to convert a single .max file, you will need to convert the .max file to a .dae file.

You must have 3dsmax installed on your machine for .max - .dae file conversion to work.

To get started, download and install the openCollada ColladaMax plugin for 3dsmax from the link above. Next, follow the steps outlined here:

Start 3dsmax.
Click Open in the File tab of the 3dsmax toolbar.
Select the .max mesh from its location in the directory.

Once the .max mesh appears in the 3dsmax viewer, select Export from the File tab.

When prompted by the file explorer, name the file and save it in Collada .dae format.

Choose the following options when prompted:

Bake matrices
Relative paths
Copy images
Normals
Triangulate
Tangents/binomials

The resulting Collada file can be found in the 3dsmax/export folder.

Proceed with mesh conversion as you would for a Collada file (jump to Using Mesh Converter).

Converting Folders of .max Meshes¶

Mesh Converter includes a script for converting folders of 3dsmax .max files into .dae files. Follow the instructions below to run the script in 3dsmax and convert file folders.

You must have 3dsmax installed on your machine for the script to work.

To convert a directory of .max files:

Start 3dsmax.
Click Run Script in the MAXScript tab at the top of the toolbar.

Choose folder_convert.ms from the gamr7/mesh_converter/script path.

In the Utilities tab to the right, select MAXScript.
Select the Folder Convert to Dae in the drop-down menu at bottom.

Choose the folder you wish to convert.

A status bar at the bottom of the application will display conversion progress after you have chosen the folder. You will find the converted meshes in the 3dsmax export folder.

Proceed to mesh conversion as you would for a Collada file (jump to Using Mesh Converter).

Converting Folders of .fbx Meshes Using Maya¶

A 32-bit version of Maya is required for conversion of .fbx meshes using Maya. You do not have to start Maya in order to convert an .fbx mesh with Mesh Converter. Proceed directly to Using Mesh Converter.

Please note that you cannot convert directories of .fbx meshes using 3dsmax. To convert a .fbx directory of meshes:

Maya 2008 or 2009 must be installed on your computer with version 2010.0.2 plugins.
Convert a folder of .fbx meshes directly in Mesh Converter by clicking the .fbx (through .mb) option on Mesh Converter interface and selecting the folder when the Mesh Converter Explorer icon appears.

Converting Meshes Created with Maya¶

You may convert meshes created in Maya and saved in .mb format by clicking the .mb radio button before conversion. (Proceed directly to Using Mesh Converter.)

Here is a basic sample Maya mesh:

bin.mb

Workaround: Conversion from Maya 2009¶

We recommend the following workaround if you experience difficulty converting from Maya 2009:

Install the Maya 2009 2010.0.2 plugin from OpenCollada.
Save the Maya 2009 .mb file as an .fbx file
Proceed with mesh conversion using the .fbx file by clicking the .fbx through Maya radio button.

Note: You will need Maya 2008 installed on your machine for this workaround to function.

Converting Collada Meshes¶

You may convert Collada meshes directly through Mesh Converter by clicking the .dae radio button. Below is a sample mesh you can use for your own Mesh Converter tests. This file comes from the 3DVIA image bank. This site offers a number of free meshes available in the Collada .dae format.

creepy_willow.dae

Converting Google Sketchup Meshes¶

You may convert Google Sketchup meshes in .skp format by first converting them to .dae files, then converting the .dae file through Mesh Converter by clicking the .dae radio button.

To convert a .skp file:

Start Sketchup.
Click File and open the desired .skp file.
When the file has opened, click File/Export.
The Sketchup file explorer will prompt you to name the file and choose the .dae format.

Once the .skp file has been converted to .dae format, you may proceed to Using Mesh Converter.

Here is a sample .skp mesh for practice:

red_tictac.skp

Converting Google Earth .kmz Meshes¶

You may convert Google Earth meshes in .kmz format by clicking the .kmz radio button. Proceed to Using Mesh Converter.

Find .kmz meshes in the Google 3D Warehouse.

Converting Panda .egg¶

Meshes in Panda’s .egg format need no conversion. Click the No Conversion radio button to import these meshes directly into Ürban PAD.

Using Mesh Converter¶

This is the Mesh Converter interface:

Click Add to open the file directory explorer.

Click the folder icon to select the mesh folder you wish to add.

Click the checkmark in the selection box once you have selected the folder. This will add the folder to the list under the Directories heading in the Mesh Converter.

Adding Tags to Meshes¶

Adding tags to meshes is a simple way to specify the order in which the mesh textures should be represented. Add the following tags according to the texture type:

Diffuse – color textures
Normal – bump mapping
Ambient – local luminosity
Glow – emissive/artificial light texture
Transparent – transparency

Using the right tags in the right order tells Mesh Converter how to display the mesh. Adding tags to the file is optional. Selecting no tags will give a black and white result. You will need to add tags in the following order:

Diffuse, Normal, Ambient, Glow, Transparency.

You may remove tags by clicking on the tag itself, then clicking Remove Tag.

Selecting File Format and Converting¶

Next, use the radio button to select the input format:

Maya binary (.mb)
Collada (.dae)
no conversion (for meshes in Panda format)
Fbx (.fbx via Maya)
Google Earth (.kmz)

Once you have completed this step, click Convert to convert the mesh.

Conversion progress is displayed in the Status bar at the top of the interface. Conversion has ended when the blue bar at the bottom is displayed.

The tutorial is organized as follows:

get
Using Mesh Converter (general procedure)
Sub-sections on conversion procedures for specific file formats: .max, .fbx, .mb, .dae
Adding Converted Assets to Ürban PAD

Adding Converted Assets to Ürban PAD¶

To start using converted assets in the template Editors, click on Properties in the Edit menu after adding a City Project.

When the City Project Settings menu appears, click on the Meshes option under the Packages heading. Click Add, then on the file folder icon to launch a search for the mesh folder. Select the folder and name it, then click the green checkmark.

Click Validate. Your mesh should now be ready to use in your City Project. When you select Add Mesh in one of the Editors, your asset will appear in the resource explorer.

The .egg format stores data in the Ürban PAD readable format. When you export to XML, your pipeline can retrieve the original mesh format and data from this file.

Your data is never lost or locked in to a format that is incompatible with your pipeline.

Troubleshooting¶

Texturing¶

There are numerous methods for texturing an object. It is not possible to use every one of these methods in the conversion, so we have chosen to use multitexturing as our standard procedure for meshes.

To convert a mesh using this procedure, you must use multitexturing and place all your textures in one multitexture. If this condition is not met, it is highly likely that your mesh will be displayed in monochrome only.

Texture Import¶

This section provides disambiguation of texture import through Mesh Converter.

There are three instances in which textures can imported:

Textures which are imported separately as part of textures packages for City Projects (see What Is a City Project?).
Decals which can be placed on the ground (without thickness)
Textures that cover meshes

It is not necessary to import the textures of a mesh separately. Textures are imported separately only when they are “pure” textures. It is necessary to add the correct tags in order to get the textures to display properly (see Adding Tags to Meshes).

Note for texture display: In some instances, the Panda shader used by Ürban PAD’s viewer window does not display all textures even if the textures have been correctly converted. The textures that do not appear will reappear during export back to your rendering engine.

Supported Texture Formats¶

While Mesh Converter supports a variety of texture formats, some formats are not supported. As of June 2010, the following formats are supported by Mesh Converter:

.bmp
.jpg
.png
.tga
.dds

XYZ Displacement¶

You may experience issues with mesh display once you have added the mesh to Packages (see Adding Converted Assets to Ürban PAD). Part of the mesh may be obscured or seem to sink into the workspace.

If this occurs, it is a likely result of the mesh not being created on a 0,0,0 XYZ center. In order to ensure proper transfer of your meshes, you may want to create them with a 0,0,0 center.

You can fix this problem by adjusting the vertical offset in the Edit window of the individual mesh in the Parcel or Road Editor interfaces.

Bit-Count Error¶

You may encounter a possible bit-count error during conversion. (32-bit/cannot handle transparency). Please contact us if you encounter this problem using the Bug Reporting procedure.

Mesh Converter¶

Pipelines¶